Ohio State appeared to have its first-round game in hand when the Buckeyes led by 12 points with under three minutes to play, but Iowa rallied to make it 64-64 before succumbing 66-64.
“We didn’t relax. We didn’t get surprised,” insisted Ohio State coach Jim O’Brien. “Chauncey Leslie (the Iowa guard who scored 15 points) put that team on his back.”
Milestone: Buckeyes guard Brent Darby went over 500 points for the season when he hit a jumper for three points late in the game. But the statistic wasn’t the game’s most important. Iowa was 7-of-14 from the free-throw line to Ohio State’s 16-of-23. Iowa had more fouls (21-17) and turnovers (15-10) than Ohio State.
NIT-bound? The question is whether Iowa (15-13) has played its final game in a year disrupted by off-season departures and injuries, or if the NIT will call with a reprieve.
“We’ve got to wait until Sunday night to see what our fate is,” Iowa coach Steve Alford said.
