Ohio State has played its depth more frequently since Jake Diebler became the Buckeyes’ head coach one month ago. That strategy paid off in a big way in the Buckeyes’ Big Ten Tournament opener against Iowa on Thursday night.
The Buckeyes got 37 points from their bench against the Hawkeyes, which played a key role in Ohio State outsourcing Iowa 90-78 to earn a second-round win over the tournament’s No. 7 seed and advance to Friday’s quarterfinals in Minneapolis.
All five backups who saw action against Iowa outscored their season averages to make a positive impact for the Buckeyes out of the bullpen.