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Indiana plays host to Ohio State in a must-win regular season finale for both sides on Saturday afternoon in Bloomington.

The Hoosiers (18-12 overall, 9-10 in Big Ten play) are back home again in Indiana following a 1-1 road trip in the Pacific Northwestern. The Buckeyes (17-13 overall, 9-10 in Big Ten play) needed double-overtime to beat Nebraska on Tuesday night in Columbus, but emerged victorious in a 116-114 thriller.

Before Indiana and Ohio State go head-to-head in Saturday's regular season finale, preview the Big Ten battle.

Head Coach: Jake Diebler

Record: 25-16 in 2nd year overall, same at Ohio State

Diebler took over as the interim head coach of the Buckeyes on Feb. 14 of last season, leading Ohio State to an 8-3 record after taking over for Chris Holtmann. Diebler was then officially named the head coach just over a month later.

Diebler coaching career began back in 2009, where he spent one season as a graduate assistant at Valaraiso—Diebler's alma mater. Diebler stayed on the staff at Valpo for another three years, spending time as the director of operations and an assistant coach.

Then, Diebler took a job as a video coordinator at Ohio State, spending three seasons with the Buckeyes during his first stint in Columbus. The next stop for Diebler was at Vanderbilt, where he spent three years as an assistant coach before returning to Ohio State as an assistant on Holtmann's staff.

The first three seasons of Diebler's second stint with the Buckeyes was spent as an assistant coach before he was promoted to associate head coach and eventually took over for Holtman.

Ohio State began the season with an impressive ranked win over then-No. 19 Texas at a neutral site in Las Vegas. Ohio State wasn't as impressive in its next early-season test, a trip to College Station to play Texas A&M. The Buckeyes lost that game by 14 points to fall to 2-1 on the young season.

The turn of the calendar hasn't been quite as kind to the Buckeyes, who are sporting an 8-9 record in conference play. Despite rough stretches, Ohio State is a victory away from avoiding playing on Wednesday in the Big Ten Tournament.

On the year, Ohio State is averaging 79.7 points per game on 47.0% shooting from the field and 37.5% from 3-point range. Defensively, the Buckeyes are allowing an average of 73.7 points a night. Opponents are shooting 42.7% from the floor and 30.2% from downtown this season against Ohio State.

Despite their record, the Buckeyes rank 34th in Kenpom, possessing the nation's 25th-ranked offense and 50th-ranked defense. Ohio State also slots in as the 35th-ranked team in the NET as well.

- Guard Bruce Thornton: A 6-foot-2 junior, Thornton is considered one of the top guard in the conference. He's averaging 17.8 points and 4.4 assists on 50.7% shooting from the field and 43.2% shooting from 3-point range. Thornton was a third-team All-Big Ten selection a season ago and has started all 30 games with the Buckeyes this season, making him one of the most experience players in the Big Ten.

- Forward Devin Royal: Royal, a 6-foot-6 forward out of Pickerington, Ohio, is Ohio State's second-leading scorer on the season. He's averaging 13.6 points per game on 52.5% shooting from the field. Royal, a sophomore, leads the Buckeyes in rebounding on the year, pulling down 7.0 rebounds a game.

- Guard John Mobley: A 6-foot-1 true freshman, Mobley is one of the top bench options in the Big Ten. Out of the 30 appearances Mobley has made this season, 20 of them have come off the bench for the Buckeyes. He's averaging 13.4 points per game on 39.9% shooting from the field. The former four-star recruit is also shooting 40.,2% from downtown on the year.

Can Indiana succeed a win and in game...

Since the Purdue game two weeks ago, Indiana has been playing for its tournament lives and Saturday afternoon's tilt with Ohio State is the biggest of them all. Not only are NCAA tournament hopes on the line for both sides, but the final bye for the Big Ten Tournament is still up for grabs. The winner will play on Thursday at noon against Oregon while the loser will play on Wednesday evening.

Indiana appears to be in perfect position. A home game in front of a white-out crowd on senior day. The Hoosiers have an opportunity to take care of business and book their ticket to the Field of 68.

Will Indiana be able to overcome senior day emotions...

Senior day is an emotional day in general. However, Saturday will mark the end of an era in a variety of ways. Three Indiana kids, Trey Galloway, Luke Goode, and Anthony Leal, will take Branch McCracken Court one last time while Mike Woodson coaches his final home game of his career.

Though the game won't be won in its opening minutes, Indiana will have to control its emotions to avoid falling behind to a solid Ohio State team.

Who: Indiana (18-12, 9-10) at Ohio State (17-13, 9-10)

Series History: Indiana leads all-time series 113-88. (Last Meeting: Indiana won 77-76 on Jan. 17, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio)

When: Mar. 8, 2025 at 3:45 p.m. ET

Where: Value City Arena, Bloomington, Indiana

TV: CBS: Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Jim Sparnarkel (analyst)

Radio: IU Radio Network: Don Fischer (Play-by-Play), Errek Suhr (Analyst), John Herrick

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