Who’s Playing
Ohio State Buckeyes @ Illinois Fighting Illini
Current Records: Ohio State 12-8, Illinois 14-6
How To Watch
What to Know
We’ve got another exciting Big Ten matchup on schedule as the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Ohio State Buckeyes are set to tip at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday at State Farm Center. The Fighting Illini are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 85.2 points per game this season.
Illinois fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against Nebraska on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell 80-74 to the Cornhuskers. The Fighting Illini didn’t live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.
Despite their loss, Illinois saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Kasparas Jakucionis, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 13 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Less helpful for Illinois was Ben Humrichous’ abysmal 0-7 three-point shooting.
Illinois struggled to work together and finished the game with only seven assists. They were dismantled by their opponents in that department as Nebraska posted 15.
Meanwhile, Ohio State waltzed into their match on Thursday with two straight wins… but they left with three. Everything went their way against the Nittany Lions as they made off with an 83-64 win. The Buckeyes have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight games by 19 points or more this season.
Ohio State’s victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was John Mobley Jr., who posted 19 points along with eight assists and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Devin Royal, who went 5 for 9 en route to 15 points plus eight rebounds.
Illinois has been struggling recently as they’ve lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 14-6 record this season. As for Ohio State, their win bumped their record up to 12-8.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as both are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Illinois hasn’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 85.2 points per game. However, it’s not like Ohio State struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 80. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
As for their next game, Illinois is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 6.5 points. For those looking to play the spread, take note: they are a solid 7-4 against the spread when playing as the favorites at home.
Odds
Illinois is a solid 6.5-point favorite against Ohio State, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 6.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 156 points.
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Series History
Illinois has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Ohio State.
- Mar 15, 2024 – Illinois 77 vs. Ohio State 74
- Jan 30, 2024 – Illinois 87 vs. Ohio State 75
- Feb 26, 2023 – Ohio State 72 vs. Illinois 60
- Jan 24, 2023 – Illinois 69 vs. Ohio State 60
- Feb 24, 2022 – Ohio State 86 vs. Illinois 83
- Mar 14, 2021 – Illinois 91 vs. Ohio State 88
- Mar 06, 2021 – Illinois 73 vs. Ohio State 68
- Jan 16, 2021 – Ohio State 87 vs. Illinois 81
- Mar 05, 2020 – Ohio State 71 vs. Illinois 63
- Feb 14, 2019 – Illinois 63 vs. Ohio State 56
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