The Buckeyes (17-11, 8-7) were led by Kosta Koufos with 21 points. Ohio State lost its third straight, and has now lost five of seven.

For the fifth straight game, Hoosiers basketball was overshadowed by the tumult that rocked the program over the past two weeks — allegations of major NCAA rules violations, a university investigation, Sampson's resignation and a threatened player boycott.

Fans greeted Dakich and the transition with loud approval, a stark contrast to the boos for Sampson during the last three home games. Several Indiana players again wore the initials "KS" on their sneakers, and fans waved signs that read "Dan Dakich 4 Prez."

Despite his dismissal, some fans still supported Sampson. One placard read "KS" and another said "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying."

But most just wanted to see basketball Tuesday night — and they saw a game that was every bit as rough as the Hoosiers' distractions.

Indiana broke out to a 10-3 lead with a huge early rebounding advantage and still led 30-21 at the half.

Then Koufos almost single-handedly led the Buckeyes back. He scored Ohio State's first seven points in the second half and made it 34-32 with another basket with 15:13 left.

But the Hoosiers steadied themselves by scoring five straight points to make it 39-32 and finally put it away by hitting 10-of-12 free throws in the final 62 seconds, allowing Dakich to walk off a winner.