Ohio State vs. Iowa: Preview, Prediction, TV Schedule

NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 23: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts during the first half of the CBS Sports Classic against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Smoothie King Center on December 23, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

The Ohio State Buckeyes are tied for first in the Big Ten, but can they get past a road game against the Iowa Hawkeyes?

TV Schedule: Thursday, Jan. 4, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU

Arena: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa

Don’t look now, but the Ohio State Buckeyes are quietly building a solid NCAA Tournament team.

With losses to the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Clemson Tigers, Butler Bulldogs, and North Carolina Tar Heels, the Buckeyes have no bad losses on the season, as each one of those teams is currently a borderline top 25 team. Unfortunately, Ohio State does not have any good wins, either, meaning that this team will have to get things done in conference play and, most importantly, avoid bad Big Ten losses.

This includes Ohio State’s next game, which is a trip to Iowa City to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Hawkeyes have been, quite frankly, terrible this season. Already with seven losses and three in the Big Ten, Iowa sits at the bottom of the Big Ten standings behind perennial bottom feeders like Rutgers. The Big Ten has not looked good outside of the top two or so, and Iowa’s sudden, well, horribleness is part of that.

Ohio State cannot afford to lose this game. Iowa should finish the season with a far below 200 RPI, and a loss that bad, even on the road, could be devastating for a team like the Buckeyes who failed to secure a marquee win in the non-conference portion of the schedule.

Next: Early season bracketology

The good news is that I think Iowa is so bad right now that they could lose every single game in Big Ten play, so, don’t worry Buckeyes’ fans, you should have this one even on the road.

Prediction: Ohio State 88, Iowa 74

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