At the Buzzer: Ohio State 91, Indiana 78

Lamar Wilkerson attempts a 3-pointer at Ohio State.

Quick thoughts on a 91-78 loss at Ohio State:

How it happened

Indiana’s defense was non-existent in the first half of Saturday’s regular-season finale at Ohio State. The Buckeyes feasted on a soft Hoosier defense, scoring 50 points on 67.9 percent shooting from the field. Ohio State scored 1.46 points per possession and led 50-33, the largest halftime deficit for Indiana in a game this season. The Buckeyes were red hot from the perimeter, shooting 8-for-13 on 3s. Three different Ohio State players scored in double figures – Amare Bynum with 14, Bruce Thornton with 12 and John Mobley Jr. with 11. For Indiana, it was a half to forget offensively as well. The Hoosiers shot 1-for-8 on 3s and committed eight turnovers.

Things didn’t get better early in the second half, as the Buckeyes extended their margin early in the half. Ohio State stretched the lead to 24 points at 69-45 on a pair of Thornton free throws with 12:18 to play. The Hoosiers, however, didn’t fold completely and made five of seven shots to cut the deficit to 15 points at 73-58 by the under-eight media timeout. Indiana then trimmed the lead to 13 at 81-68 with 4:48 left on a pair of Tucker DeVries free throws and then to 11 at 81-70 on a DeVries layup with 4:03 to play. The Hoosiers, however, would get no closer than 10 down the stretch as they dropped a critical game and finished the regular season 18-13 overall and 9-11 in the Big Ten.

Standout performers

Lamar Wilkerson led Indiana with 18 points and now has the single-season record for points by a Hoosier in Big Ten play. DeVries added 17 points, five assists and three rebounds.

Statistics that stand out

The Hoosiers were carved up defensively as Ohio State scored 1.34 points per possession. The Buckeyes shot 11-for-24 on 3s and had five players score in double figures. The 91 points for Ohio State were the second-most in a Big Ten game this season for the Buckeyes.

Up next for IU

Indiana begins postseason play on Wednesday night in the 2026 Big Ten tournament at the United Center in Chicago. The Hoosiers will be the No. 10 seed and will play the winner of the No. 15 vs. No. 18 game at 6:30 p.m. ET on BTN on Wednesday.