Ohio State at Iowa: 5 biggest storylines for top-10 matchup

Thursday’s marquee game will feature Big Ten rivals meeting up in a contest that will feature two AP  top-10 teams. When Ohio State travels to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to take on Iowa Basketball on ESPN for a 7 pm tip, both teams will be looking to keep pace with the current cream of the Big Ten the Michigan Wolverines.

Despite both being ranked in the top 10, the two teams come into the game trending in different directions. Prior to their victory Tuesday versus Michigan State, the No. 8 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes had lost two games in a row, whereas the No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes are looking to extend their winning streak to four games.

Head Coach Chris Holtman and the Buckeyes will enter Thursday’s game with an 8-4 Big Ten record which is highlighted by road wins at Illinois and Wisconsin. The Buckeyes are led on the offensive end by sophomore forward EJ Liddell with 15.3 points per game and junior guard Duane Washington with 14.5 per game.

Head Coach Fran McCaffery and the Iowa Hawkeyes are 7-3 in the Big Ten and have a season record that has had them in the top ten of the AP Poll the entire season. The Hawkeyes resume features wins over North Carolina and Rutgers and a neutral-court loss to Gonzaga. The Hawkeyes are led by National Player of the Year candidate senior Luka Garza who averages 26.4 points and 8.6 rebounds and junior guard Joe Weisikamp with 14.8 per game.

With Big Ten implications and potentially a three seed on the line when Selection Sunday rolls around, both teams have plenty of motivation to score and score often just three days before Super Bowl Sunday.