Good Hoops Morning: Amidst bubble chaos, Ohio State can get some clarity in Iowa City

Before every Ohio State men’s basketball game, Connor Lemons gets you ready for that day’s action with key stats, players to know, and prevalent storylines for that day’s game on the “Good Hoops Morning” podcast. Listen to the episode and subscribe: Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Ohio State Buckeyes at Iowa Hawkeyes (-6.5)| KenPom predicts: Iowa by 4 Game Date/Time: Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 9:00 p.m. ETLocation: Iowa City, IowaTV: Big Ten NetworkRadio: 97.1 FM/ 971thefan.com The Ohio State men’s basketball team (17-10, 9-7) is sitting just on the outside of the NCAA Tournament field according to the Bracket Matrix, but after several fellow bubble-dwellers took losses on Tuesday evening, Ohio State has an opportunity to get some clarity and get back on the right side of things with a win in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes (19-8, 9-7) rattled off six straight wins starting in mid-January but have since lost three of their last four games, including a seven-point loss at Maryland. Ben McCollum’s team isn’t in danger of missing out on the NCAA Tournament just yet — they probably need to win one of their final four games to stamp a ticket. Iowa is elite at forcing turnover, but Bruce Thornton played all 40 minutes against Michigan State on Sunday without committing a single turnover. The senior guard is now 60 points away from becoming Ohio State’s all-time scoring leader. Thornton and Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz are the Big Ten’s leaders in minutes per game, with Stirtz at the top averaging 36.9 and Thornton just behind at 36.3. Connor’s prediction: Ohio State 75, Iowa 73 Connect with Connor: Twitter: @lemons_connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices