Iowa basketball: Instant takeaways from Hawkeyes’ 82-65 road loss to Ohio State

Iowa basketball entered Monday’s men’s contest at Ohio State shooting 51% from the field and 39.1% from deep. 

But the Hawkeyes’ high-octane offense did not show up in Columbus. On Monday, Iowa shot just 39% from the field and 28% from 3-point range.

Iowa was doomed by shooting struggles in the 82-65 loss.

Ohio State was mostly able to hold Payton Sandfort and Josh Dix in check. Sandfort had 13 points but was just 5-of-16 from the field. Meanwhile, Josh Dix didn’t score at all and was 0-of-7 from the field.

Monday had shades of Iowa’s offensive performance in last week’s loss to Minnesota. The Hawkeyes shot just 14.3% from deep against the Golden Gophers.

Iowa’s offense is what carries the team, and when the Hawkeyes have nights like these it’s very difficult to compete.

Iowa collapses in the second half

Iowa trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half but trimmed that deficit down to four at the break.

The Hawkeyes remained in the fight going into intermission.

But things started to unravel quickly after the break.

After an encouraging defensive performance in the first half, Ohio State shot 57% from the field after the break. Ohio State hammered Iowa on the boards in the second half, holding a 23-11 advantage, though that was in part due to the shooting discrepancy. Iowa wasn’t able to find a stable rhythm offensively.

The Buckeyes’ lead ballooned to as many as 25 points in what has become a familiar sight on the road for Iowa. The Hawkeyes were not able to sustain the level of offensive and defensive activity needed to win on the road. Ohio State looked comfortable and was in clear command of the game.

Ohio State outscored Iowa 52-39 in the second half.

Iowa’s road woes continue

The Hawkeyes still have not won a true road game this season.

Iowa is now 0-5. Only one of those games was decided by single digits. Other than that near-takedown of Michigan in December, Iowa has mostly not been very competitive. The Hawkeyes were clobbered by Wisconsin and UCLA. Monday fit right in with that narrative.

There are still more opportunities out there, but it’s not an encouraging development. Iowa goes on the road to Rutgers, Maryland, Illinois, Northwestern and Nebraska. Iowa’s troubles on the road makes the path the NCAA Tournament even more difficult.

Free throw issues still unsolved

The Hawkeyes again didn’t shoot well from the free throw line. Iowa finished Monday’s game just 10-of-17 from the charity stripe.

Seydou Traore was 7-of-10, Owen Freeman was 2-of-5 and Drew Thelwell was 1-of-2.

Had Iowa converted on every free throw, it still wouldn’t have been enough to turn the tide. But not taking care of the more controllable aspects like free throws makes winning an uphill battle.

The fleeting bright spots

Iowa stayed alive in the first half in part due to Freeman and Thelwell, who combined for 22 of Iowa’s 26 first-half points. That gave Iowa at least a chance.

Thelwell finished with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-10 from the field and 3-of-4 from deep.

Freeman slowed significantly in the second half, scoring just three points after the break. He finished the contest with 14 points.

Seydou Traore provided a boost in the second half, scoring 11 of his 13 points after the break.

But there were not nearly enough positive developments for Iowa to give Ohio State trouble, much less win the game.

Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com