Indiana basketball closes the regular season against Ohio State in a massive senior day matchup. With both teams sitting on or around the bubble in most predictions, this game has major NCAA Tournament implications for both sides.
Indiana will be celebrating seniors Trey Galloway, Anthony Leal, Luke Goode, Oumar Ballo, Langdon Hatton, Jaden Bobbett, Shaan Burke and Jackson Creel.
The Buckeyes enter the game with a record of 17-13 (9-10 Big Ten) under second-year head coach Jake Diebler. Ohio State has won two straight games after losing their previous three. OSU is led by junior guard Bruce Thornton who comes into this game averaging 17.8 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.3 rebounds. Sophomore forward Devin Royal adds 13.6 points and leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game.
Indiana basketball will have nine managers and eight players honored for senior day festivities.
Tipoff is set for 3:45 pm on CBS.
Below is the full preview.
Key Indiana basketball Storylines
How does Indiana respond after a tough loss to Oregon?
Coming into Tuesday night’s game the Hoosiers had been playing their best basketball of the season. While they fought hard on the road against a good Oregon team, Indiana came up just short as the Ducks closed the game on a 10-0 run to beat the Hoosiers 73-64.
Indiana has struggled to bounce back from losses this season, as they come into this game 4-6 against high-majors following a loss. They will need a bounce-back performance against Ohio State as a loss could end their NCAA Tournament hopes.
The good news is one of those four wins came against Ohio State earlier this season after the team was embarrassed by Illinois.
The Hoosiers will need Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako specifically to play better as both struggled against Oregon.
With the way Trey Galloway and Oumar Ballo are playing, if Indiana basketball can get a bigger contribution from Reneau and Mgbako they should have a great opportunity to improve their NCAA Tournament hopes before beginning the Big Ten Tournament.
Series History
The Hoosiers have faced the Buckeyes 201 times with Indiana winning 113 of those matchups including the last four games between the two schools.
Indiana took down Ohio State earlier this season in Columbus 77-76 in an overtime thriller. In the win, Luke Goode had a career-high 23 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the 3-point line. Oumar Ballo added 21 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks for the Hoosiers.
Indiana Basketball Injury Updates
Gabe Cupps: Indiana basketball sophomore guard Gabe Cupps underwent a successful surgery to treat a preexisting, nagging injury to his lower body. He is out for the season.
Jakai Newton: The sophomore has missed multiple games this season. He is expected to be out.
Quick Hitters
Who?: Ohio State (17-13) (9-10) at Indiana (18-12) (9-10)
When?: Saturday, March. 8, 2025 • 3:45 p.m. ET
Where?: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) • Bloomington, Ind.
TV: CBS (Spero Dedes, Jim Spanarkel)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
Betting Lines: Indiana basketball opened as a 5.5-point favorite per DraftKings Sportsbook.
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