Ohio State football reached #1 in the country and promptly lost to Wisconsin. Ohio State basketball didn't suffer the same result in their first game as the #1 team in college basketball.
David Lighty scored 18 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out four assists as top-ranked Ohio State smothered Iowa, 70-48, at Value City Arena.
"When we feel good about our defense, we're a great team and it's harder to beat us because we have so many weapons on offense," Lighty said. "Coach (Thad Matta) is happy when we come out and play 40 minutes of good defense."
William Buford supplied 15 points while Jared Sullinger contributed 13 points and nine boards for the Buckeyes (19-0, 6-0 Big Ten), who swept the season series and have taken six straight over Iowa.
Dallas Lauderdale and Deshaun Thomas chipped in with nine points apiece for the hosts, who are off to the program's best start since the 1961-62 team opened with 22 straight victories.
Lighty joined Jim Jackson and Evan Turner as the only players in Ohio State history to score 1,000 points, collect 500 rebounds and dish out 300 assists.
Andrew Brommer scored 12 points, pulled down six rebounds and blocked three shots while Melsahn Basabe added 11 points for the Hawkeyes (7-11, 0-6), who fell to a ranked team for a fifth time in their last six games.
"I think everyone understands who we're playing against but the reality is we're still 0-6," Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said. "But, we are making strides to get where we want to go."
The Buckeyes embarked on a 14-4 run, capped by an Aaron Craft three-pointer, to take a 20-8 advantage with 11 minutes left in the first half and never looked back.
Lighty's emphatic dunk pushed the margin to 35-19 inside of four minutes to play before the break and the hosts took a 40-23 lead at the intermission.
Iowa never challenged in the second half, as the lead grew to as many as 25 with three minutes to play.
Ohio State took the first meeting, 73-68, on January 4 in Iowa City...The Buckeyes have also won five straight home dates over the Hawkeyes...Lighty hit 5-of-7 from the floor and 6-of-7 at the line...Jon Diebler made only 1-of-8 shots, all from beyond the arc, and scored just three points for Ohio State. Craft set a Buckeyes freshman record with seven steals...Iowa made only 1-of-7 from three-point territory and shot just four foul shots, making three...The Hawkeyes committed 23 turnovers while the Buckeyes turned it over 20 times. Iowa is now 2-19 all-time against the top-ranked team in the land...The Hawkeyes lead all-time series, 75-74, in a matchup that began in 1915.