After a road win over No. 11 Purdue, Ohio State coach Jake Diebler is grateful for the break before hosting Iowa on Monday in Columbus. The Buckeyes (11-8, 3-5 Big Ten) have played five straight one-possession games, and Diebler believes this break will help the team recover and improve.
The win over Purdue ended a three-game losing streak for Ohio State, while Iowa (13-7, 4-5) snapped its own three-game slide with a 76-75 win against Penn State on Friday. The Hawkeyes now face a quick turnaround before playing Ohio State.
“Iowa senior Payton Sandfort, who averages 16.2 points per game, said, “When you’re going through a tough stretch, it can feel impossible to get a win.
Once you get one, things start to feel better. You feel like you can compete. You feel like we’ve got all the confidence in the world that we can go out and compete with Big Ten teams.”
Drew Thelwell, who scored 16 points for Iowa, reached 1,000 career points in the win over Penn State. “I’m thrilled for him,” said Iowa coach Fran McCaffery. “It’s an incredible accomplishment. It’s really hard to do. It says a lot about who he is.”
Ohio State showed resilience in the Purdue win, coming back from a 16-point deficit. Micah Parrish led the way, scoring 17 of his 22 points in the second half. Parrish is in his first season with Ohio State after two years at San Diego State. He is fourth on the team in scoring, behind Bruce Thornton (17.1), Devin Royal (13.9), and John Mobley Jr. (12.3).
Diebler added, “We just always felt like there was more to his game than what he got to do, but that can be uncomfortable for guys at times, too. He’s used to doing things a certain way for a couple of years, and then you’re in a whole new system.”
