INDIANAPOLIS – With his team leading 72-68 with under a minute to play in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, Iowa men’s basketball guard Brock Harding committed a costly turnover. After receiving the inbounds pass, the second-year got caught in midair and threw it right into the arms of Ohio State star guard Bruce Thornton, who knifed his way through the defense and knocked in a mid-range jumper.
The Hawkeye lead was now down to just two, but the game’s most exciting moment was on the horizon.
Iowa’s next possession was disjointed from the start, but the Buckeye defense left Harding wide-open on the wing for a three-pointer. With seconds left on the shot clock, Harding collected the Josh Dix pass and buried the shot.
B1G THREE BY BROCK HARDING ‼️ @IowaHoops #B1GMBBT on Peacock 💻 pic.twitter.com/04MqitydGx
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 13, 2025
Dagger. Ohio State’s bubble was burst, and the Hawkeyes were on to the second round. After the game, Harding, jumping around like a kid on Christmas morning, enthusiastically placed Iowa’s sticker on the second round of the gigantic Big Ten Tournament bracket outside the locker room.
” I was really hoping that Josh was going to hit the stepback mid-range, and he kicked it to me,” Harding said. I knew I had to make up for the turnover somehow, and it found me and it went in.”
“He has that ability to come back after a turnover, because he had a couple before that, Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery added. “When that shot left his hands, I think we all knew it was good.”
While his clutch triple was arguably his biggest moment of the game, the contest marked one of Harding’s best outings of the season. The sophomore finished his night with 15 points, three assists, and two rebounds on 5-of-6 shooting. Three of those buckets were three-pointers.
Like many other Hawkeyes, it has been an up-and-down campaign for Harding. The point guard has shown signs of potential in some games throughout the Big Ten season, but has also looked lost in others. Harding began the season in the starting lineup, but that inconsistent play forced McCaffery to play the more experienced Drew Thelwell in the spot.
But Harding has seemingly flipped the switch over the last two games. After scoring a combined 10 points against Northwestern and Michigan State, the sophomore netted 12 points, four assists, and three rebounds in the 83-68 victory over Nebraska on Sunday that allowed the Hawkeyes to have the chance to play in this tournament.
Despite the tough season, Harding credits his strong mentality for helping him stay focused each night.
“Just sticking to my faith, sticking to my work ethic, just never getting too high, never getting too low, trusting my teammates,” Harding said.
The simple fact that Ohio State was Wednesday’s first round opponent fueled Iowa even more. The Buckeyes had knocked the Hawkeyes out of the Big Ten Tournament in each of the last two seasons, but Iowa was determined to avoid a third consecutive defeat this year.
Not only was the taste of revenge a satisfying one for the Hawkeyes, Wednesday’s victory also marked their second consecutive win over a team that was fighting for an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament. Both Nebraska and Ohio State are now likely eliminated from the Big Dance after their respective losses to Iowa, a spot Harding loves to be in.
“We’re never going to quit,” Harding said. “We know that our record’s not great, our tournament hopes aren’t great. But we know that we’re never going to stop fighting and that’s just extra motivation.”
The Hawkeyes will look to carry that motivation into Thursday’s second round matchup against rival Illinois. The Fighting Illini are an NCAA tournament lock, but Harding and Iowa will look to spoil the party and get even after suffering a 81-61 blowout loss to Illinois back on Feb. 25.
“I know they [Illinois] had a little bout with the flu bug, and they took a step back. But they just kept coming, and we’ll have them ready,” McCaffery said.