Iowa Hawkeyes vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, 3/12/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Iowa Hawkeyes vs Ohio State Buckeyes

Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026

Location: United Center in Chicago, IL

TV: BTN

The Ohio State Buckeyes (20-11) host the Iowa Hawkeyes (20-11) at United Center on Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament.

The Iowa Hawkeyes stepped onto the hardwood against Nebraska and took a loss by a final of 84-75 in their last contest. With respect to fouls, the Hawkeyes walked away with 18 while Nebraska finished the game with 12 fouls. They buried 10 of 27 tries from distance. Nebraska walked away from this one shooting 74.1% at the charity stripe by converting 20 of 27 tries. Moreover, Nebraska pulled down 28 boards (5 offensive, 23 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Nebraska earned 18 assists and had 11 steals in the game. In regard to defending, Iowa allowed 50.0% from the floor on 27 of 54 shooting. They also distributed 17 assists in the matchup as well as forcing 12 turnovers and earning 9 steals. With regard to getting rebounds, they collected 31 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Hawkeyes made 10 of their 15 shots for a rate of 66.7%. Iowa wrapped up the contest with a 48.2% FG percentage (27 out of 56) and knocked down 11 out of their 30 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Cooper Koch is a guy who had an impact in this contest. He ended up walking away with 18 points on 6 out of 13 shooting. He was on the court for 39 minutes and also snagged 3 rebounds. He shot 46.2% from the floor and distributed 2 dimes.

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Iowa heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 20-11 this year. They are averaging 75.4 points per game (188th in the country) while going 49.0% from the field. The Hawkeyes are hitting 35.3% from downtown (245 of 695) and 77.5% from the free throw line. As a team, Iowa is pulling down 29.7 boards per game and has 471 dimes so far this season, which ranks 120th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 9.6 times per contest and as a unit are committing 17.8 personal fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Hawkeyes are forcing 13.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.5 personal fouls. They give up 33.8% on 3-point attempts and they are 17th in college in PPG allowed (65.8). The Hawkeyes defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 45.9% (701 of 1,527) and they surrender 28.6 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are ranked 34th in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 357 surrendered on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Ohio State Buckeyes walked away with a victory by a final of 91-78 against Indiana. The Buckeyes recorded 20 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive boards for a total of 23 for the matchup. They turned the ball over 8 times, while recording 6 steals for the contest. Indiana was called for 20 fouls for the matchup which took the Buckeyes to the free throw line for a total of 25 attempts. They were able to convert 22 of those for a rate of 88.0%. In reference to shots from beyond the arc, Ohio State made 11 of their 24 attempts (45.8%). When the final whistle was blown, the Buckeyes went 29 for 49 from the field which had them shooting 59.2%. The Buckeyes permitted Indiana to convert 28 of 51 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 54.9% in the game. They finished the game shooting 27.8% from three-point range by shooting 5 of 18 and finished the game at 17 out of 21 from the charity stripe (81.0%). In relation to how they cleaned up the glass, Ohio State allowed Indiana to grab 17 in all (4 on the offensive side).

Bruce Thornton ended up being important for the Buckeyes in this matchup. He totaled 25 points in his 38 minutes on the court and added 7 dimes in this game. He converted 7 of 9 in this matchup for a rate of 77.8%, and tallied 3 rebounds.

Ohio State has a mark of 20-11 on the year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Buckeyes are shooting 49.5% from the field, which ranks 21st in the country. Ohio State has 2,494 points for the campaign (80.5 per contest) and they snag 33.7 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 14.4 times per contest (142nd in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 10.5 times per game. The Buckeyes have committed 17.8 fouls every game and they hit 77.5% from the free throw line.

The Ohio State defense concedes 31.2% on three-point shots (227 of 727) and their opponents are making 74.1% of their foul shots. They surrender 13.3 dimes and 31.3 boards per game, which ranks 178th and 31st in those categories. The Buckeyes on the defensive side of the court are 152nd in college in points per game surrendered with 73.0. They are forcing 10.7 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 43.7% from the floor (148th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Ohio State

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