The Ohio State Buckeyes (11-8, 1-4 Big Ten) and Illinois Fighting Illini (13-6, 9-2) are lined up for a Tuesday evening Big Ten battle on the hardwood. The contest at the State Farm Center in Champaign will tip off at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Ohio State at Illinois odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Ohio State has had an abysmal January. The Buckeyes are coming off a 93-77 win over Iowa (Saturday), but that win as a -3 favorite snapped a 5-game losing streak (straight up and against the spread). Saturday’s win over the Hawkeyes was in Columbus; OSU is just 1-5 across its last 6 road/neutral games.
Illinois is the opposite side of that coin. The Illini lost Saturday (80-65 vs. Indiana), snapping a 4-game SU and ATS win streak. UI shot just 38.7% from the floor in that game; the Illini had a similar number from the foul line, where they went 9-for-21 (39.1%).
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