COLUMBUS, Ohio – IU rallied furiously to defeat Ohio State 76-73 on Tuesday night at the Schottenstein Center. Here are three reasons why:

Ugliness offensively

Tuesday’s game took on a curious feel, one fan base exasperatedly trying to will something more out of its underperforming team while the other wondered about its long-term outlook.

Neither Ohio State nor Indiana (14-9, 6-6) will have expected to be where they each found themselves heading into this game, but the first half — particularly for Indiana — illustrated why they are.

While the Buckeyes (13-10, 3-9) struggled to find their rhythm early, IU found absolutely none at all. The Hoosiers hit just four of their first 16 shots from the floor, even their better looks finding iron and air rather than nylon. Free throws kept things close for a time, but eventually that profligacy took its toll.

The home side found its shooting boots, Indiana’s lack of offensive confidence affected its defensively performance and the struggling Buckeyes stopped struggling so badly. Their lead opened to as many as 13 points in the opening frame. That’s where it stood at the break, Ohio State leading 42-29.

Malik Reneau carries Hoosiers again

Even still nursing an apparent ankle problem, Malik Reneau gave his team a badly needed anchor at both ends Tuesday.

Kel’el Ware’s foul trouble left the sophomore from Florida alone often in the post, making Reneau’s life difficult for the added attention. That didn’t stop the sophomore from finishing with 26 points and 14 rebounds, both comfortably team highs.

Reneau was not immune to the evening’s frustrations. He drew a technical foul on Indiana’s first defensive possession of the second half and probably skirted the line for a second tech later in the frame as well.

But on a night when Indiana seemed so rudderless elsewhere, it at least had its leading scorer back bossing the post, keeping Ohio State within touching distance.

Furious rally buries Buckeyes

If Indiana deserved fault for the hole it dug itself in the first half Tuesday, it deserved as much or more credit for pulling itself back out in the second.

Down 13 at the break, the Hoosiers steadily and relentlessly ate into Ohio State's advantage in the last 20 minutes. Even when the Buckeyes tried to answer, IU just reset itself and went again.

Trey Galloway was immense, scoring the bulk of his 25 points after halftime. Anthony Leal hit an enormous corner 3 to take the lead in the final minute, and two more free throws to cement the final score, Indiana's seniors taking tremendous credit from this performance.

After the ugliness of Penn State, this was a much-needed rally in so many respects for the Hoosiers.

Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.

Indiana box score vs. Ohio State

INDIANA (13-9): Mgbako 3-12 2-2 9, Reneau 8-15 10-15 26, Ware 3-10 0-0 6, Cupps 1-3 0-0 2, Galloway 9-15 4-4 25, Leal 1-1 3-6 6, Gunn 0-0 0-0 0, Walker 0-0 1-2 1, Sparks 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 25-56 21-31 76.

OHIO ST. (13-9): Battle 4-11 10-10 19, Okpara 2-2 3-4 7, Gayle 6-10 6-6 19, Mahaffey 3-7 2-3 8, Thornton 4-13 1-2 11, Bonner 1-2 0-0 3, Key 2-4 2-2 6, Middleton 0-2 0-0 0, Royal 0-2 0-0 0, Parks 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-53 24-27 73.

Halftime—Ohio St. 42-29. 3-Point Goals_Indiana 5-13 (Galloway 3-4, Leal 1-1, Mgbako 1-4, Cupps 0-1, Ware 0-1, Reneau 0-2), Ohio St. 5-17 (Thornton 2-7, Bonner 1-1, Gayle 1-2, Battle 1-5, Mahaffey 0-1, Middleton 0-1). Rebounds_Indiana 33 (Reneau 14), Ohio St. 25 (Mahaffey 6). Assists_Indiana 12 (Galloway 4), Ohio St. 10 (Gayle 4). Total Fouls_Indiana 21, Ohio St. 23.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 3 reasons Indiana basketball rallied to beat Ohio State Buckeyes