The Ohio State Buckeyes and Illinois Fighting Illini play Tuesday at State Farm Center. Tip-off from Champaign, IL, is at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Illini are 3.5-point favorites, and the game total is 145.5 points.
The Buckeyes, 11-8 SU and 8-11 ATS, defeated Iowa at home on Saturday. They're 1-4 on the road this season. The Illini, 13-6 SU and 11-8 ATS, lost at home to Indiana last Thursday. They're 9-2 at the State Farm Center.
Ohio State beat Illinois 86-83 on the road in their lone meeting last season. The Fighting Illini hold a 70-62 advantage in the series' history.
The Buckeyes were ranked a few weeks ago but have dropped five of their past six. Now 11-8 overall and 3-5 in Big Ten play, they have their work cut out if they're going to make an impression on the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
Ohio State erased its five-game losing streak on Saturday, beating Iowa 93-77 with a strong second-half performance. The Buckeyes shot 36-for-64 (56.3%) from the field, 8-for-16 from three, and 13-for-17 (76.5%) from the free throw line. They also outrebounded the Hawkeyes 36-29, with 12 offensive rebounds. Iowa trailed by only two points at halftime but gave up 56 points after the break.
Fun times at the Schott ?? pic.twitter.com/0cQdDpHzSJ
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) January 23, 2023
The Buckeyes score 77.8 points per game (52nd) on 47.2 percent shooting (45th), including 38.7 percent from three-point range (17th). They convert 74.3 percent of their free throw attempts (70th) and average 36.3 rebounds (23rd) with a +5.9 rebounding margin. OSU is ranked sixth nationally in schedule-adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.
Freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh leads Ohio State in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per game on 51.3 percent shooting from the floor. Other players to watch are senior forward Justice Sueing (12.9 PPG and 4.6 RPG), junior forward Zed Key (12.1 PPG and 8.1 RPG), and senior guard Sean McNeil (9.9 PPG, 40.4 3PT%).
Ohio State gives up 66.7 points (109th) on 40.6 percent shooting (48th), including 30.1 percent (42nd) from behind the arc. It's 85th in defensive efficiency and 81st in assist-per-turnover ratio (1.13).