Ohio State basketball now alone atop the Big Ten, beats Iowa 82-64

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State didn't know this when the ball tipped against Iowa, but a Michigan State win over Purdue that ended right as Saturday's game in Value City Arena started put the Buckeyes in position to take first place in the Big Ten all for themselves.

The Buckeyes didn't know it, but they played like they did.

In one of its most complete performances of the season, No. 14 Ohio State easily dispatched Iowa 82-64, completing the regular season sweep of the Hawkeyes in front of the first sellout crowd at Value City Arena in four years.

With the win, the Buckeyes (22-5, 13-1 Big Ten) are alone in first place in the conference standings with four games remaining. They have a one-game lead on Purdue and Michigan State, both 12-2 in conference play.

Kaleb Wesson led Ohio State with 18 points. He added seven rebounds. Keita Bates-Diop had 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists. C.J. Jackson had 14 points and five assists, leaving midway through the second half with cramping issues. The Buckeyes had things in hand by then.

Here are some thoughts, notes and observations from Ohio State's fourth consecutive win, and its 17th win in the last 19 games:

* Ohio State didn't let Iowa force the action this time. When the teams played in Iowa City on Jan. 4, the game featured more than 120 field goal attempts, and a lot of offense. The Buckeyes won 92-81, but that was a game played at the Hawkeyes' pace, and one in which Iowa outplayed Ohio State in the second half.

The Buckeyes were efficient on both ends on Saturday, taking a 10-point lead into the half and taking things over for good with a 14-0 run early in the second.

* This was the fifth straight opponent to reach 80 points against Iowa. The Buckeyes shared the ball well too, with 18 assists on their 29 made field goals.

* Freshman center Kaleb Wesson needed a bounce-back game and he got it. After battling foul trouble against Purdue on Wednesday night, Wesson was back to his assertive self. That's a good step for a young big man; you didn't want to see one bad game carry over. Considering he fouled out the last time Ohio State played Iowa, that's an even better sign.

* Micah Potter had 10 points to lead a bench that scored 22 points, a big night of scoring for that group.

* The Buckeyes had been mired in a bit of a 3-point shooting slump, 27 percent from deep over their last six games. Against Iowa they were 9-for-22 (40 percent) with Jackson (3-for-4) and Bates-Diop (3-for-7) leading the effort from behind the arc.

What it means

This was a great day for Ohio State basketball. Regardless of Iowa's talent, this kind of effort coming off the emotional high of beating Purdue was impressive. Combine that with a big recruiting weekend -- 2019 five-star forward Alonzo Gaffney was among the visitors on Saturday -- and the first sellout since 2014, and this is the kind of day Chris Holtmann probably envisioned happening a few years down the line.

It happened on Saturday, continuing what's been a remarkable season.

What's next?

Ohio State plays its next two games on the road, beginning on Thursday at Penn State. Tip from University Park, Pa. is set for 8 p.m. on Big Ten Network.

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