BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana’s season of ups and downs culminates with a crucial bubble game on senior day Saturday against Ohio State. 

The Hoosiers split their trip to the Pacific Northwest with a 78-62 win at Washington and a 73-64 loss at Oregon, dropping to 18-12 overall and 9-10 in Big Ten play. As of Thursday morning, Joe Lunardi placed Indiana among the last four teams in the NCAA Tournament. 

Ohio State is in similar standing as one of the last four byes to the big dance, according to Lunardi. In their first season under coach Jake Diebler, the Buckeyes are 17-13 overall and 9-10 in the Big Ten after Tuesday’s double-overtime win over Nebraska. 

That sets up an NCAA Tournament play-in game of sorts between the Hoosiers and Buckeyes at 3:45 p.m. ET Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, though both teams could also need a win or two in the Big Ten Tournament, depending on bid stealers and results from other bubble teams.

Here’s a closer look at the Buckeyes ahead of Saturday’s matchup.

Key players

Key departures

(2034-24 stats)

2024-25 schedule (17-13, 9-10)

Head coach: Jake Diebler

Diebler is in his first full season as Ohio State’s head coach after taking over for Chris Holtmann late last season as the interim head coach. Diebler went 8-3 with the Buckeyes last season, including a four-game win streak at the end of the regular season, a win in the Big Ten Tournament and two wins in the NIT. Diebler has been on the Ohio State staff since 2019, beginning as an assistant and later being promoted to associate head coach and interim head coach. He was also an assistant at Vanderbilt from 2016-19 and at Valparaiso from 2009-13. Diebler, 38, played at Valparaiso from 2005-09.

Series history

Indiana leads the all-time series 113-87. The Hoosiers have won four straight games, including a 77-76 overtime win at Ohio State on Jan. 17. Luke Goode led the Hoosiers with 23 points, and Oumar Ballo scored 21. Woodson is 5-1 against the Buckeyes with a 3-0 record in Bloomington. Archie Miller went 1-6. Indiana is 21-23 against Ohio State since 2000.

Strengths

Ohio State ranks 25th nationally in offensive efficiency for a few key reasons. Opponents average just 4.2 steals per game, giving the Buckeyes the nation’s best mark. They shoot 37.5% from 3-point range, good for 32nd. They rank top 75 in both free throw attempts per game and percentage, as well as overall field goal percentage. 

The offense is run by three-year starter Bruce Thornton, one of the Big Ten’s best point guards. His 2.85 assist-to-turnover ratio is third among conference point guards, behind Braden Smith and Jeremy Fears Jr. He’s also become a greater 3-point shooting threat with a career-best 43.2% this season on 4.4 attempts per game. 

Ohio State’s 22.1 3-point attempts per game rank just 209th nationally, but it has several capable shooters. Along with Thornton, freshman John Mobley Jr. shoots 40.2% from three and leads all Big Ten players with 74 made threes. Micah Parrish also shoots a solid 36%, but Ohio State’s 3-point shooting options pretty much stop there. Opponents have shot just 30.2% from beyond the arc against Ohio State, placing it 19th from a defensive standpoint. 

Weaknesses

Indiana’s biggest advantage in this game comes in the front court. Devin Royal is having a breakout sophomore season, going from 4.7 to 13.6 points per game, but at 6-foot-6 he’s giving up a lot of size to Indiana’s 6-foot-9 Malik Reneau and 7-footer Oumar Ballo. Fellow sophomore Sean Stewart starts at center and provides more size at 6-foot-9, but that’s still a mismatch against Ballo, who had 21 points in the first matchup. 

The Buckeyes bring 7-footers Aaron Bradshaw and Ivan Njegovan and 6-foot-10 sophomore Austin Parks off the bench, but all three are still young and developing players. Bradshaw, a former top-five recruit and transfer from Kentucky, hasn’t lived up to expectations at 6.5 points per game. 

Ohio State is not a strong rebounding team, ranking 215th in offensive rebounding percentage with a minus-0.2 rebounding margin. Expect Indiana to give Ballo and Reneau a heavy dose of touches inside and for its guards to attack the rim.

Season and game outlook

Ohio State was picked to finish eighth in the preseason Big Ten poll, and it’ll finish either ninth or 10th based on Saturday’s outcome. The Buckeyes are No. 36 in the NET rankings, making it a Quad 2 opportunity for Indiana. The Hoosiers are No. 55 in the NET, so it’s a Quad 1 game for Ohio State on the road. Both teams are squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and a win Saturday would certainly help them earn a bid. The loser would need to pick up a couple wins next week. 

For Big Ten Tournament purposes, it’s pretty simple – the winner is the No. 9 seed and the loser is the No. 10 seed. After the first matchup went to overtime, KenPom projects a 75-74 Indiana victory and gives the Hoosiers a 54% chance of victory Saturday at home. Ohio State has the 3-point shooting advantage and the better point guard, but Indiana’s advantage in the frontcourt is significant.

And that’s why I’m personally endorsing my friend, a practicing monotheist Hindu — Vivek Ramaswamy — to be the next governor of Ohio.

I grew up in the Mahoning Valley. My hometown, Warren, sits along the Rust Belt in northeast Ohio. I still love Warren. But I’ve never known a thriving Warren. Since 1990, the population of Warren has shrunk from over 50,000 to under 39,000.

Over the years, I saw a steady stream of politicians promise to “revitalize” the Mahoning Valley: They’ll beef up this government program, use that economic trick to lure in another manufacturer or keep the Lordstown GM plant. None of it worked. 

There are towns all across Ohio with similar stories.

The problem plaguing us is much deeper than money. At the root, our struggles stem from the breakdown of the family. 

Warren has one of the highest child poverty rates in our state at 50%. Not at all coincidentally, Warren also has one of the highest rates of children born out of wedlock, 66%. The data tell a clear story: the higher the rates of family breakdown, the higher the rates of child poverty, violence, crime, and government spending.

When Ramaswamy announced his bid for governor, he said that he hoped his marriage to his wife Apoorva, with whom he is raising two young boys, would provide an example to Ohio’s young men and women that family is deeply good. But even beyond his example as a husband and father, he will promote public policy to support strong families so that we can rebuild Ohio from the family up.

Families need and deserve good schools where teachers are accountable through meritocracy. Families need and deserve the dignity of work, not the condescension of inflated welfare programs.

Ramaswamy is a brilliant businessman and problem-solver who, like President Donald Trump, doesn’t need anyone else’s money. He’s not beholden to lobbyists, scared of their friends in the media, or trapped by their broken playbook. He’s free to state the truth: that it’s not the government but strong families that build strong communities. 

I understand that some Christians will hesitate to support a non-Christian for public office. Ramaswamy knows that I pray one day, he will see and believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. While I’d love for all of our leaders to believe the truth of the Bible, I don’t believe that is a requirement — so long as they share and advance the right values for our state.

Years ago, when Mitt Romney was running for president, Christians debated whether we could support a Mormon candidate. Author and theologian Wayne Grudem wrote in response that America’s history was full of great statesmen, including Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, who didn’t follow Jesus but were professed “deists.” In fact, it was the genius of our constitutional writers that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office.”

And in the Bible, we see many examples of God using nonbelievers to secure the welfare of the people. While under Roman rule, the apostle Peter wrote that God uses those in authority to “punish those who do evil, and praise those who do good.” In Nehemiah, God uses the Persian King Artaxerxes I not only to allow Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, but the King gives Nehemiah all the resources he needs and a guarantee of safety for the passage home. 

In the same way, while Ramswamy and I don’t share a common faith, we share a common understanding of what Ohio needs to secure hope and a future for his children, my children, and yours.  

RAMASWAMY HOLDS EARLY GOP LEAD IN OHIO GOVERNOR’S RACE: POLL

He  believes in religious freedom. He believes men are men and women are women. He believes that parents, not the state, have the right to raise and educate their own children. He believes that every human life has inherent worth and dignity. 

The Bible is full of stories of God accomplishing His will through unexpected and even unbelieving men and women. And I have no doubt He will bless Ohio through the election of Ramaswamy as our next governor.

Aaron Baer is a Christian public policy leader in Columbus, Ohio. 

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Thanks to the bipartisan CHIPS Act, tech giant Intel chose to invest billions in Ohio to develop a massive semiconductor manufacturing plant. But during a speech President Donald Trump gave Tuesday night, he urged Congress to repeal it.

This exclamation set off concerns inside the Statehouse, especially for people who worked closely to get Intel to the Buckeye State. But a repeal would require enough votes from the U.S. House and Senate. Do they have enough votes?

Well, of Ohio’s congressional delegation who responded to me, U.S. Senator Jon Husted was the only member to speak in total support of the CHIPS Act.

Here’s what’s happening on the ground — and in D.C.

A bit of context

The CHIPS Act, signed into law by former President Joe Biden in 2022, authorized more than $50 billion in subsidies for creating semiconductors, or chips.

Semiconductors are the chips behind e-commerce, social media, cars, computers, and everything that utilizes digital technology, which nowadays is just about everything.

Intel, working with Ohio’s congressional delegation and other members of the federal government, said it would invest in the state if the CHIPS Act was passed.

The company promised Central Ohio at least $20 billion, now nearly $30 billion, for a plant that would create tens of thousands of jobs.

The immediate economic impact was supposed to be major, especially for Licking County. The plant was supposed to create 3,000 longer-term, higher-paying jobs, 7,000 construction jobs and tens of thousands of additional jobs. The highest profile were the researchers and facility workers making the chips.

Ohio’s top politicians have celebrated this extensively since this is a historic investment into not just the state but the entire country.

“It will determine how Ohio fulfills the promise of becoming the center of high-tech manufacturing in America,” U.S. Senator Jon Husted, who was then lieutenant governor, said during the groundbreaking in 2022. “So our children and grandchildren will never have to look beyond Ohio for great career opportunities.”

But then came the troubles.

Intel had been stuck in negotiations with the U.S. Department of Commerce. The tech company continued to delay construction multiple times due to this.

Finally, its long-awaited $1.5 billion wasn’t awarded until late November 2024. Intel had been approved to get roughly $8 billion total.

Even after receiving the money, Intel has been facing financial issues.

Intel’s stock has dropped more than 50% in the last year while the industry has grown more than 120%. After spending 25 years on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Intel was replaced on the index by Nvidia, a leader in artificial intelligence, in late Nov. The company also had mass layoffs in October, cutting 15,000 jobs, slashing its workforce by 15%.

Some officials in Ohio have privately worried that Intel will become another ‘Foxconn’ scandal. In 2023, Ohio-based Lordstown Motors filed for bankruptcy and sued international manufacturer Foxconn for failing to live up to and follow through on their massive investment deal.

Just at the end of February, Intel once again delayed.

More worries as Intel, once again, delays massive Ohio chipmaking plant

Trump causes a tidal wave

“This was going to be the Silicon Heartland,” Mike Knisley with the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council told me.

But could this Central Ohio worksite revert back to dust?

“This will be a huge setback for Ohio,” he said. “It’s just so disappointing, Morgan, on so many different levels, [like] from a standpoint of national defense.”

Knisely has worked closely for years with Intel, the members of Congress and state politicians in order to push the CHIPS Act forward.

But the future of the project is now being questioned by Trump.

“Your CHIPS Act is a horrible, horrible thing,” the president said during his speech to Congress Tuesday night.

During his speech, Trump lamented how the companies aren’t spending the money — funds they are only starting to receive over the past couple of months.

“You should get rid of the CHIPS Act,” he continued. “And whatever’s left over, Mr. Speaker, you should use it to reduce debt, or any other reason you want to.”

He claimed that the companies don’t really care about anything except not paying tariffs.

“They will come because they won’t have to pay tariffs if they build in America,” he said.

Knisely was appalled.

“Grandpa’s lost his mind,” he said, noting that he was fine being quoted saying that. “Really, at the end of the day, whose side are you really on here?”

State Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus), who has been skeptical of Intel’s continual delays from the start, is also panicked.

“Are we ever going to see Intel built?” he said. “Millions and millions and hundreds of millions of dollars and we might get nothing but a white elephant with holes in the ground.”

Governor Mike DeWine and the state have already given billions to subsidize the project. Knisely added that the unions and colleges have been training workers. Cities have also been a part of the progress — Columbus especially, including the effort to build better transportation from the site to the heart of downtown.

“What does this say to the taxpayer of Ohio?” I asked the lawmaker.

“I think it says to the taxpayer that you don’t matter,” he replied.

Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) said the Biden administration “dragged” their feet on getting the money out.

“The CHIPS Act funding should have been out a while ago,” McColley said. “Now I think the point the president was trying to make is that his ideas towards economic development are a little bit different.”

Trump would be “much more willing” to add tariffs to these types of products, as opposed to direct subsidies, the lawmaker added.

When I followed up and asked if he would be in favor of repealing it, he said because he doesn’t have a vote in the matter, it doesn’t matter what he thinks.

“I think our delegation is paying attention to see where this thing goes and we’ll see where it ends up,” he continued.

House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) was less defensive of the president than McColley. Instead, he wondered what would happen to the remaining money that has already been allocated to Intel.

“I find it hard to believe that the money is just going to get pulled and somehow would imperil the project,” the speaker said.

If something does happen to the money, that will then fall on Intel to stay loyal to Ohio.

“Certainly I, like everybody else, I’d like for this thing to go full steam ahead and they build all 10 sections and they spend their $100 billion,” Huffman said about Intel. “But I don’t think they’re going to walk away from the $2.3 billion they’ve already spent in structure and all of that.”

Senate Finance Chair Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) said it’s possible Trump didn’t actually mean a full repeal.

“It might not be a wholesale elimination of it, maybe downgrading it a bit,” Cirino said. “But I think that we’re still gonna see Intel come here.”

Cirino doesn’t want to repeal the CHIPS Act but said that he would have to go back and take a look at it to see if something could be “fixed” so it could be better.

“There are so many other good reasons to come to Ohio, and they decided to come here before the CHIPS Act was even enacted,” he added.

The governor’s team insists that Intel will continue their promise.

“When Intel announced the New Albany project, they committed to it whether the CHIPS Act was passed or not,” DeWine spokesperson Dan Tierney said in a statement. “The company remains committed to onshoring its manufacturing, which aligns with President Trump’s semiconductor strategy and onshoring strategy. Until a firm proposal moves through Congress, it is prudent to reserve comment until more details are known.”

Knisely doesn’t buy this.

“Right out of the gate, Morgan, CHIPS was part of this whole equation,” he said.

Intel even delayed the groundbreaking ceremony because the CHIPS Act wasn’t signed.

I reached out to each of Ohio’s Republican members of Congress to comment, and I asked each how they would vote on a repeal effort.

Not a single one answered my direct question of how they would vote.

U.S. Senator Jon Husted

Husted has been the face of Intel in Ohio.

In a statement, he said:

“The CHIPS Act was a major bipartisan piece of legislation to pass recently, and I am confident bipartisan support remains. For the economic and national security of America, we need to make chips in the USA—I believe this is part of an America First agenda. Making chips in places like Ohio will make sure that China doesn’t win.”

Although he didn’t address the voting question, he gave the clearest answer that he supports the CHIPS Act.

Congressman Dave Joyce, OH-14

“Domestic semiconductor manufacturing and research allows the United States to be independent from our adversaries and Intel’s Ohio One project is designed to help us do just that. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration dropped the ball by failing to implement the CHIPS Act efficiently and effectively, putting our nation’s national security at risk. In Congress, I will continue to work with my colleagues and the administration to improve our domestic semiconductor supply chain.”

Congressman Michael Rulli, OH-06

“I’ve supported boosting domestic production of semiconductors and Ohio’s Intel project from the beginning. While the Biden approach mandated DEI hiring and other woke giveaways, President Trump’s economic agenda will invigorate American industry without the endless red tape.

Monday’s announcement that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is investing another $100 billion to expand its U.S. operations shows just how effective President Trump’s leadership has already been. I’ll be working with federal, state, and local governments to push for these manufacturing facilities to come to our state—especially the 6th district. President Trump’s America First agenda is simple: manufacturing should happen here, and high-paying jobs should go to American workers first.”

Congressman Troy Balderson, OH-12

“Intel made a commitment to Ohio and to our kids. The Ohio One project promised to be full speed ahead, regardless of supplemental federal funding—while passage of the CHIPS Act would allow Intel to ‘go faster and further.’ Unfortunately, the Biden Administration completely botched the rollout and implementation of the CHIPS Act, sabotaging Congress’s mandate to onshore chipmaking and strengthen national security. Intel made it clear from the outset that they would make a historic investment in Ohio with or without the CHIPS Act, and Ohioans fully expect them to keep their promise.”

Remaining members

Congressman Dave Taylor, OH-02, and his team responded but declined to comment.

The remaining, including Senator Bernie Moreno and U.S. Reps. Jim Jordan, Bob Latta, Max Miller, Warren Davidson, Mike Turner and Mike Carey never replied.

“I think it’s now a time for everyone — corporations, politicians, everyday Americans — to show some spine,” Knisely said.

Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.