Iowa, Butler knock off Ohio State, Villanova
COLUMBUS, Ohio – In undeniably their most important game of the men’s basketball season, the Iowa Hawkeyes leaned heavily on their two best players.
Luka Garza, the All-American center and Wooden Award favorite, poured in 24 points on 10 of 16 shooting. Joe Wieskamp, the Jerry West Award finalist, rained in five clutch 3-pointers and finished with 19. Together, they led a stirring 73-57 win Sunday against fifthranked Ohio State, a major statement in a significant game in the Big Ten Conference standings.
The 12th-ranked Hawkeyes improved to 18-7 overall and 12-6 in Big Ten play with their best win of the season.
Ohio State showed why it’s been projected as a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed before this week. The Buckeyes roared out of the halftime locker room to cut a 42-28 deficit to 44-42 — scoring 14 points on six rapid-fire possessions.
Garza quieted things down, scoring two big ones off a feed from Jordan Bohannon. Then, out of a timeout, Wieskamp buried a 3-pointer from the left wing for a 49-42 lead. A subsequent Garza bucket gave Iowa a nine-point lead and seemed to restore its authority in this game that was apparent from the early going.
– Chad Leistikow, The Des Moines Register
Big East upset: Villanova may own the realigned Big East. Butler owns Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Bulldogs held the sixth-ranked Wildcats to 7% shooting on 3-pointers, made 10 3s of their own and produced a shocking 73-61 upset Sunday before a CBS national TV audience.
Villanova (10-3, 15-4) is 1-4 in its past four visits to Hinkle. Butler (8-11, 9-13) finished with a 7-3 record in Big East home games.
Freshman guard Chuck Harris had 20 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Bulldogs. Jair Bolden added 15 points, Bryce Golden 13 and Bryce Nze 12. Nze added 11 rebounds – his fifth double-double – and five assists. Butler was 10 of 24 on 3s. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl scored 16 points and Collin Gillespie 14 for the Wildcats, who were 2 of 27 on 3s.
– David Woods, The Indianapolis Star