Big Ten Roundup (Jan. 12): Iowa Beats Michigan in OT, Minnesota Gets First Win at Ohio State

It was another wild night in the Big Ten on Thursday, with Iowa rallying to win in overtime over Michigan and Minnesota getting its first league win at Ohio State. Here are the summaries, plus a preview of Friday night's action with the league leaders.
Big Ten Roundup (Jan. 12): Iowa Beats Michigan in OT, Minnesota Gets First Win at Ohio State
Big Ten Roundup (Jan. 12): Iowa Beats Michigan in OT, Minnesota Gets First Win at Ohio State /

Michigan did everything it needed to do to beat Iowa on Thursday night, right up until the final few seconds. Then it all fell apart in a hurry.

Michigan (9-7, in the 3-2 Big Ten) let a seven-point lead slip away in the final two minutes, and by four with less than 30 seconds in regulation. But Michigan's Kobe Bufkin  fouled Iowa's Payton Sandfort on a three-pointer from the top of the key. The shot went in, and he made the free throw to tie the game with 20.2 seconds to play.

Iowa then dominated the overtime period, winning 93-84 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena for its third straight win. Michigan freshman Jett Howard scored a career-high 34 points but it wasn't enough.  

"A lack of defense on our part, Sandfort getting too many open looks," Michigan coach Juwan Howard said about the Wolverines' collapse. "Fouls down the stretch, an offensive rebound and-one, a three-pointer down the stretch, a four-point play; those possessions can never happen. Unfortunately, we did not do a good job defending, especially the last four minutes of the ball game."

The Hawkeyes (11-6, in the 3-3 Big Ten) scored the first eight points of overtime and Michigan never threatened. Iowa had 14 offensive rebounds and outscored Michigan 23-6 in the final 7:18.

Sandfort had 26 points and six rebounds for Iowa, and Kris Murray led the Hawkeyes with 27 points and eight rebounds. Filip Rebraca added a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Minnesota 70, Ohio State 67

Minnesota got its first Big Ten win of the season, stunning Ohio State 70-67 in Columbus. 

It was the third straight loss for Ohio State (10-6, 2-3 in the Big Ten), which shot just 38 percent from the field but tied the game late when freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh knocked down a pair of free throws with eight seconds remaining.

Ta'lon Cooper drove to the basket on Minnesota's next possession and was fouled with 1.7 seconds left. He missed the first free throw but made the second, giving the Gophers the lead. Ohio State turned the ball over on the inbounds pass, and quickly fouled Dawson Garcia. He made both free throws for the winning margin. 

Sensabaugh led the five Ohio State players in double figures with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Garcia had a game-high 28 points for Minnesota, who is now 7-8 overall and 1-4 in the Big Ten.

Friday's Big Ten games

  • NEBRASKA at No. 3 PURDUE, 7 p.m, ET:  Purdue (15-1, 4-1 in the Big Ten) looks to maintain its lead in the Big Ten race when it meets Nebraska (9-8, 2-4) on Friday night at Mackey Arena. The two teams played on Dec. 10 in Lincoln, with Purdue winning 65-62 in overtime. Freshman guard Fletcher Loyer led the Boilermakers with 22 points in that game. TV: Big Ten Network. Point spread: Purdue is a 15-point favorite, and the over/under is 132, according to the SISportsbook gambling website.
  • MICHIGAN STATE at ILLINOIS, 9 p.m. ET: Michigan State )12-4, 4-1 in the Big Ten), currently tied with Purdue for the league lead, will try to keep pace, but it won't be easy at Illinois (11-5, 2-3), who has been playing well at home, going 8-1. Terrence Shannon had 25 in their last game, a rout of Nebraska. TV: FOX Sports 1. Point spread: Illinois is a 5.5-point favorite according to the SISportsbook gambling website. The over/under is 136.5.

Big Ten standings

Here are the Big Ten standings through the games of Thursday night, Jan. 12.

Big Ten standings through Thursday night, Jan, 12, 2023
Big Ten standings through Thursday night, Jan, 12, 2023

Related stories on Big Ten basketball

  • BREAKING DOWN PENN STATE'S 18 THREES: Penn State tied a school record with 18 three-pointers in its 85-66 win over Indiana on Wednesday. Here's a breakdown of each play, including analysis of Indiana's defensive mishaps. CLICK HERE
  • TOM BREW COLUMN: Indiana was 7-0 and No. 10 in the country as we rolled into December, but they are a mess now as they spiral down to the Big Ten cellar. There's one statistic that clearly shows the difference in these two teams, what Indiana was, and what it is now. CLICK HERE
  • HOW TO WATCH PURDUE-NEBRASKA: No. 3 Purdue hosts Nebraska at Mackey Arena on Friday. Here's how to watch the game, with all your TV information, top scorers, coaching bios and more. CLICK HERE

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Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who has worked at some of America's finest newspapers as a reporter and editor, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the Indianapolis Star and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered college sports in the digital platform for the past six years, including the last five years as publisher of HoosiersNow on the FanNation/Sports Illustrated network.