GAME NOTES: A pair of teams hoping to remain in contention in the Big Ten Conference get together on Saturday afternoon, as the Ohio State Buckeyes visit the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The teams opened league play against each other in Columbus back on Dec. 30, with the Hawkeyes prevailing in a 71-65 final. It was only the second win for Iowa in the last 11 meetings with Ohio State, and it knotted the all-time series at 77-77.

Ohio State topped Michigan at home in its most recent outing, 71-52, to run its league ledger to 3-2. The Buckeyes' two league losses have come against Iowa and Indiana, and they will try to get even in true road games today as they are 1-2 in such affairs, 1-3 outside of Columbus all told when you add in their loss to North Carolina in Chicago in mid-December.

Iowa claimed victory in its last outing as well, as it slipped past Minnesota on the road this past Tuesday, 77-75. The Hawkeyes had suffered their first Big Ten loss five days earlier at home to Michigan State, so it was important for them to get back on track before taking on a couple of formidable foes in Ohio State and Wisconsin over the next few days. Iowa is 9-2 at home this season.

D'Angelo Russell continued his stellar play this season in Ohio State's rout of Michigan, as he tallied 21 points and six assists. Other double-digit scorers for the Buckeyes included Sam Thompson (12) and Amir Williams (10), as the team shot 49.1 percent from the floor, despite struggling from beyond the arc (5-of-18). Tough defense once again helped OSU prevail, as the Wolverines were limited to 33.9 percent field goal efficiency, which included a 6-of-26 showing from 3-point range.

Ohio State is outscoring its opponents by more than 20 ppg, as it nets 81.2 ppg while yielding only 60.3 ppg. The team drops 50.9 percent of its total shots, including 38.3 percent of its long-range bombs, while the opposition hits a mere 38.5 percent of their field goal attempts, which encompasses a 30.4 percent effort from downtown. The Buckeyes have forced 104 more turnovers than they've been guilty of, and they boast three double-digit scorers in Russell (18.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 5.0 apg), Marc Loving (11.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and Thompson (10.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg). As one of the nation's top playmakers, Shannon Scott has handed out a whopping 131 assists (7.3 apg).

Jarrod Uthoff poured in 22 points, and Aaron White and Peter Jok tacked on 13 apiece to help lead Iowa to its narrow win at Minnesota earlier in the week. Adam Woodbury nearly had a double-double as he finished with nine points and eight rebounds for the Hawkeyes, who made good on 52.1 percent of their total shots, which included an 8-of-16 performance from beyond the arc. A 19-12 edge in points at the foul line helped Iowa's cause.

At present, White (15.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and Uthoff (12.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.1 apg) are the only double-digit scorers for an Iowa squad that produces 70.5 ppg while permitting 61.1 ppg. The team is hitting its field goals just 41.6 percent of the time, with its 3-point tries falling at a 31.3 percent clip. Fortunately, opponents aren't doing any better (.390 overall, .317 3-point). The Hawkeyes are one of the better free-throw shooting teams in the country, ranking in the top-10 with .762 efficiency. Favorable margins in both rebounding (+3.5) and turnovers (+1.8) help the overall cause as well.

Ohio State's Russell is tough to stop, but so are Iowa's White and Uthoff. The Buckeyes have had trouble away from home, and against a solid Hawkeyes squad, expect that trend to continue.