March 4, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) attempts to pass the ball as Penn State Nittany Lions forward Mason Blackwood (1) defends during the second half at the Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Image Ohio State coach Jake Diebler likes how his team is heading into Saturday’s massive regular-season finale when they host an equally desperate Indiana in Columbus.
“Our people are passionate about the right things right now,” Dibler said. “They do a great job of maintaining tunnel vision on what matters most.”
Considering what the Buckeyes (19-11, 11-8 Big Ten Conference) accomplished Wednesday night at Penn State, it’s hard to disagree. After Sunday’s upset of Purdue gave them a much-needed boost to their NCAA Tournament restart, they avoided a potential landmine and beat the Nittany Lions 94-62.
John Mobley Jr. led the way with a career-high 28 points, hitting his last eight 3-point attempts. As a team, Ohio State shot 16 of 23 (69.6%) from distance, its best effort by percentage since going 14 of 15 in the 2011 Wisconsin game.
Bruce Thornton added 18 goals for the Buckeyes, putting him in position to become the program’s all-time leading scorer in his senior year. With 2,085 points, Thornton is 12 points ahead of Dennis Hopson.
Meanwhile, Indiana (18-12, 9-10) visited Minnesota (77-47) on the night of the 7th, ending its four-game losing streak. Sam Alexis scored a season-high 23 points, well above his average of 8.7 points, and the Hoosiers converted 10 of his 24 3-point attempts to get back in the win column.
Coach Darian DeVries was focused on preparing for the next game regardless of the circumstances and felt his team got the memo.
“My message was to keep preparing and do your best,” DeVries said. “We were able to fill 40 minutes (Wednesday), move it around, share it aggressively, and did a really good job.”
Indiana had 17 assists on 31 buckets and had four players in double figures. That included leading scorer Lamar Wilkerson (21.1 points), who went 6-for-11 with 16 hits. This marked his fewest points and shot attempts since Jan. 20 against Michigan.
This will be the only meeting between the teams this season, barring an immediate rematch in next week’s conference tournament.
–Field level media
