Illinois Eager to Return to National Polls
Neither Ohio State nor Illinois are ranked but Tuesday’s game could still be a compelling matchup of teams looking to move up in the Big Ten standings.
Ohio State is just 2-5 on the road while Illinois 9-2 at home
The Buckeyes are in the top 50 nationally in all the major rebounding categories and in the top 20 in 3-point shooting percentage. Illinois is also among the top rebounding teams in the Big Ten.
Illinois is third in Division I with an average of 6.1 blocked shots per game thanks to Dain Dainja and Matthew Mayer, who rank fifth and eighth in the Big Ten in blocked shots per game.
Forward Zed Key, one of three double-digit scorers for Ohio State, is questionable with a lower-body injury. He has scored in double figures in each of his last four games.
Illinois guard Luke Goode is not expected to make his season debut until next month due to a foot injury that required surgery.
Illinois dropped out of the top 25 in the coaches’ poll this week but is among the teams receiving votes in those rankings as well as in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
According to the college basketball odds, Ohio State (+5000) is tied for 19th in the odds to win the national title. Illinois (+6600) is tied for 23rd. The Fighting Illini (+1000) have the second-best odds to win the Big Ten title while the Buckeyes are ninth at +8000.
Let’s check the latest college basketball news, stats, injury reports, and college basketball lines for Ohio State vs Illinois. We’ve got plenty of NCAA basketball picks for you to consider.
Seeking an Encore
Ohio State took out its frustration on Iowa as freshman Brice Sensabaugh scored a season-high 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting in a 93-77 win over the Hawkeyes. The win snapped a five-game losing streak despite Sensabaugh scoring at least 20 points three times during the skid and finishing with 18 points in the other two.
Those five losses were by a combined total of 21 points so the Buckeyes are close to turning things around.
A huge boost in the Iowa game came from the bench. Ohio State’s reserves outscored Iowa’s non-starters 28-14 with Justice Sueing and Sean McNeil scoring 10 points each. More will be needed if Key is unable to play. The good news is that Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann told the media that Key’s injured knee is responding well to treatment.
Ohio State may be without Zed Key tonight at Illinois after the center suffered an injury late in the win vs. Iowa, but Chris Holtmann said Key’s knee is “responding well” to treatment. FREE on @Bucknuts247 https://t.co/kkKv5TgxfV pic.twitter.com/FjjORm7Zi9
— Patrick Murphy (@_Pat_Murphy) January 24, 2023
Ohio State has covered against the Las Vegas NCAAB odds in just one of its last six games as well as in one of the last five games on the road.
Quite the Homecoming
Terrence Shannon topped the 18-point mark just three times a season ago while he was at Texas Tech. Playing in a more wide-open offensive system certainly seems to agree with the senior from Chicago, who is finishing his collegiate career playing in his home state.
Shannon has topped the 20-point mark in three of the last five games, and during a four-game winning streak, he averaged 19.3 points. It didn’t hurt that he was 25 of 31 from the foul line in those four wins.
Even when the winning streak came to an end with a 15-point loss to Indiana, Shannon had 26 points.
Illinois has covered against the college basketball betting lines in four of its last five contests.
Ohio State vs Illinois Game Injuries
Ohio State vs Illinois Head-to-Head
Ohio State has covered in four of the last five games against Illinois, with four of those contests finishing over the total.
The Buckeyes won the lone matchup last season 86-83 as a seven-point underdog on the road. Malaki Branham and E.J. Liddell, both now playing professionally, combined for 52 points in the victory.
It was Ohio State’s third straight win at Illinois.
Ten of the last 11 meetings between the Buckeyes and Fighting Illini have been decided by single digits.
Ohio State vs Illinois Game Information
- Game: Ohio State (11-8, 3-5 Big Ten) vs Illinois (13-6, 4-4)
- Location: State Farm Center, Champaign, IL
- Day/Time: Tuesday, Jan. 24, 7:00 p.m. ET
- Ohio State vs Illinois Live stream: TBS.com
Ohio State vs Illinois Betting Lines
Ohio State vs Illinois Picks and Prediction
This matchup features two of the top six scorers in the Big Ten. However, it could come down to whether Illinois’ Shannon or Ohio State’s Sensabaugh receives more offensive support from their supporting cast.
The teams rank third and fourth in the Big Ten in scoring offense and are also among the top four teams in the conference in field goal percentage, so this has the potential to become a high-scoring affair.
Illinois is listed at -185 in our Las Vegas college basketball lines. This means that if you wager $100 on Illinois, you have a chance to win $54. Ohio State is +160, offering a chance to win $160 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Illinois a 64.91% chance to win, with Ohio State at 38.46%.
Ohio State vs Illinois Trends
Ohio State vs Illinois Edge
Ohio State vs Illinois Results
Ohio State vs Illinois Game Summary
