Hawkeyes' Big Ten Loss, NCAA Tournament Ahead

0:00On March 15th, the Iowa Hawkeyes run in the Big Ten tournament ended with a close loss to Ohio State, 72-69. Despite a strong earlier win over the Buckeyes on February 25th, Iowa's offense struggled in this matchup, falling just short in a late. Comeback bid, Isaiah Howard's three-pointer from the corner in the final seconds rimmed out, sealing the defeat. Ohio State's Bruce Thornton dominated with 24 points on 10 of 14 shooting, while Iowa star Bennett Sturts managed 17 points. Despite a brief injury timeout that seemed to affect his rhythm, teammates like Cam Mañahu, Tavyon Banks, Cooper Koch, Tate Sage, and Alvaro Fulgeras combined from modest outputs around eight or nine points each. Leaving the team short when it mattered most, Sturts, expected to carry the load as a potential first round NBA pick, couldn't elevate the group enough in the pressure pack game. Now, Iowa's shifts focused to the NCAA tournament selection committee, having lost its automatic bid chance.

1:01Recent bracket projections still peg the Hawkeyes as a solid number eight or nine seed, unaffected by this setback. With a strong season resume in hand, the Hawkeyes gear up for March Madness, ready to let the committee decide their next dance partner.