With 3 minutes, 17 seconds remaining Sunday, Ohio State found itself in a familiar position down by four points against one of the Big Ten’s top teams. The Buckeyes had been here before previously — against Maryland, Purdue and Wisconsin — with chances to win and came up short. This time it was No. 8 Iowa in town and all signs pointed toward a similar end result.
But playing without Jae’Sean Tate, Ohio State’s sophomore forward who has been dubbed the team’s “heart and soul” by his teammates and coaches, the Buckeyes made timely shots down the stretch and got key stops when they needed to and used a 12-2 run to close things out on their way to a 68-64 win.