Ohio State Buckeyes vs Iowa Hawkeyes Prediction, 2/25/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Iowa Hawkeyes

Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA

TV: ESPN+

Carver-Hawkeye Arena is where the Iowa Hawkeyes (19-8) will attempt to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes (17-10) on Wednesday.

The Ohio State Buckeyes took the court against Michigan State and went home with a loss by a final score of 66-60 in their last game. Ohio State walked away from the game having earned a 44.2% field goal percentage (23 out of 52) and converted 4 out of their 22 three-point shots. At the free throw line, the Buckeyes made 10 of their 17 attempts for a rate of 58.8%. When discussing grabbing boards, they collected a total of 24 with 3 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 8 dimes in this matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and getting 5 steals. With regard to defending, Ohio State let their opponent shoot 40.0% from the floor on 22 of 55 shooting. Michigan State distributed 18 dimes and had 2 steals for the game. On top of that, Michigan State pulled down 40 rebounds (12 offensive, 28 defensive), but didn't have a block. Michigan State ended up going 72.0% from the charity stripe by knocking down 18 of 25 attempts. They also made 4 of 15 attempts from downtown. In the matter of fouls, the Buckeyes ended up with 21 while Michigan State finished the game with 17 fouls.

Bruce Thornton is one player who was a major contributor for the matchup. He was able to score 32 points on 12 out of 22 shooting. He saw the court for 40 minutes and also snagged 4 rebounds. He finished the game at 54.5% from the field and also totaled 2 assists.

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Ohio State will enter this contest with a win-loss mark of 17-10 so far this year. They cough up possession 10.5 times per contest and as a unit are committing 18.0 personal fouls per game. As a unit, Ohio State is pulling down 34.3 rebounds per contest and has earned 394 dimes on the year, which is 172nd in D-1 in terms of passing. The Buckeyes are connecting on 34.3% on shots from beyond the arc (210 of 612) and 77.7% from the free throw line. They are averaging 80.4 pts per contest (86th in the nation) while hitting 48.8% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Buckeyes are forcing their opponents into 11.0 turnovers per contest and they draw 19.1 fouls. They concede 30.8% on three-point shots and they rank 158th in the country in PPG allowed (73.1). The Buckeyes are allowing a shooting percentage of 43.1% (687 of 1,594) and they surrender 32.6 rebounds per contest as a group. They currently rank 131st in the country in allowing assists with 358 surrendered for the campaign.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Iowa Hawkeyes took a loss by a final score of 84-71 when they played Wisconsin. When talking about cleaning up the glass, Iowa permitted Wisconsin to get 26 in total (4 offensive). They finished 41.7% from distance by connecting on 10 out of 24 and finished the contest at 18 of 20 at the charity stripe (90.0%). The Hawkeyes permitted Wisconsin to make 28 out of 52 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 53.8% in this game. When all was said and done, the Hawkeyes shot 28 for 59 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.5%. In relation to shooting from distance, Iowa buried 7 out of 26 tries (26.9%). They were able to make 8 of the free throw tries for a rate of 72.7%. Wisconsin was called for 12 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Hawkeyes to the free throw line for 11 tries. They also turned it over 9 times, while getting 4 steals in the matchup. The Hawkeyes snagged 18 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards totaling 27 in the matchup.

Bennett Stirtz was important for the Hawkeyes for this contest. He made 9 of 16 for this game giving him a rate of 56.3%, and accumulated 1 rebound. He accumulated 23 points in his 40 mins of playing time and had 2 dimes for this contest.

Iowa has a record of 19-8 this season. On the offensive side of the court, the Hawkeyes are connecting on 49.4% from the field, which is 23rd in D-1. Iowa has scored 2,052 pts this season (76.0 per contest) and they pull down 30.1 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 15.1 times per contest (109th in college) and they are turning it over 9.6 times per contest. The Hawkeyes are responsible for committing 17.7 fouls per contest while shooting 77.0% from the charity stripe.

The Hawkeyes on the defensive side of the court are 12th in college hoops in points allowed per contest with 65.1. They are able to force 13.3 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.1% from the floor (245th in D-1). The Iowa defense allows 32.1% from downtown (169 of 526) and their opponents are knocking down 73.5% of their foul shots. They allow 11.2 assists and 28.6 boards per game, which ranks 34th and 2nd in D-1.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Ohio State

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