Ohio State coach Thad Matta prepares to address team at a media timeout against Purdue on Jan. 1, 2017 at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. OSU lost 76-75. Credit: Giustino Bovenzi | Lantern Senior Reporter

This season has been the definition of highs and lows for the Ohio State men’s basketball team.

Riding the high from a victory over Minnesota in their last game, the Buckeyes came into Iowa City looking to hand the Hawkeyes their fourth straight loss. Even with the absence of senior guard Peter Jok, Iowa handled OSU in convincing fashion, winning 85-72 and hampering the Big Ten dreams of OSU.

The duo of freshman guard Jordan Bohannon and freshman forward Ryan Kreiner torched the Buckeyes defense, while a severe absence of defense off screens and inside the paint doomed the Scarlet and Gray. The problem presented by early foul trouble for redshirt junior center Trevor Thompson, and his lack of production in the paint kept Iowa out in front for nearly the entire night.

Inside, freshman center Micah Potter was attacked on nearly every possession, and his inability to prevent inside buckets allowed Iowa to dictate the game. Even from the outside, the Hawkeyes were on target, receiving little resistance from the Buckeye defenders.

Bohannon and Kreiner picked up 17 and 14 points respectively, while OSU senior forward Marc Loving and Thompson were non-factors, contributing nine total points, 11 rebounds, seven fouls and three turnovers. Buckeyes’ junior forward Jae’Sean Tate was one lone bright spot for Thad Matta’s squad, picking up 17 points and seven rebounds, while knocking down eight of his 10 shots.

The Buckeyes committed multiple fouls on a few offensive possessions for Iowa. Although the referees whistles were blowing often, many of the calls did not go in favor of the Buckeyes. OSU trailed by 11 at halftime, and did little to cut that deficit in the second half.

Bench points were a big key for Iowa. At halftime, Iowa had a 22-9 advantage in that category, and a 44-20 advantage when the final whistle blew.

OSU went on a bit of a run with around five minutes remaining in the game, as the Scarlet and Gray knocked down five straight shots, but proceeded to hit just one of their next five. When the teams left the court for the locker rooms, it became apparent just how much the Hawkeyes out-hustled OSU.

Even though redshirt junior guard Kam Williams and sophomore guard JaQuan Lyle picked up a combined 26 points, they went just 9 for 26 from the field as a duo. The Buckeyes shot just 31.8 percent from 3, and 64.7 percent from the free throw line.

OSU returns home on Tuesday against No. 22 Maryland at 7 p.m. to try and salvage what it came from the rest of the season.