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Ohio State vs Illinois, Thursday, February 14 @ 7pm, ESPN2

Like us, the Illini have won 4 of their last 5. Unlike us, their wins include wins against a couple ranked teams, MD on a neutral court and then MSU at Illinois.

They are playing very well now and they have two freshmen, Ayo Dosunmu and Giorgi B, who are in discussion for the All-B1G Freshman team.

They are elite at forcing turnovers and we're, well, really good at turning the ball over.

I hope we D them up good and hopefully can take advantage of some of their defensive lapses and breakdowns to score enough points to win.
 
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I wish we weren't playing these guys right now. They've won 4 of 5 but their lone road game was the loss so hopefully that bodes well for the Bucks.
 
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Scouting the Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois enters the game vs. the Buckeyes with an overall 9-15 record on the heels of three-consecutive home wins vs. Nebraska, Michigan State and Rutgers. Illinois opened the season with a home win over Evansville, 99-60, falling to Georgetown in Champaign in the Gavitt Games, 88-80. In the Maui Classic, Illinois fell to Gonzaga, Iowa State and Xavier before returning home to take care of Mississippi Valley State. Prior to the Nebraska game, the Illini dropped a close one in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Notre Dame, 76-74. Since an Ohio State win in Chicago over the Illini Dec. 5, Illinois has gone 7-8 overall. Trent Frazier (14.7 ppg.), Ayo Dosunmu (14.1 ppg.) and Giorgi Bezhanishvili (12.2 ppg.) all average double figures offensively. Bezhanishvili grabs a team-high 5.0 rebounds a game.

The Ohio State vs. Illinois Series
Illinois leads the overall series vs. Ohio State 102-73. Ohio State is 45-41 in Columbus while the Illini own a 60-26 advantage in Champaign. On neutral courts, the Buckeyes lead 2-1. Ohio State is 30-21 all-time vs. Big Ten teams on neutral courts. The Buckeyes defeated Illinois in Chicago at the United Center Dec. 5, 2018 in the other meeting this year. C.J. Jackson is the most experienced Buckeye in the Illinois series with two games played. He averages 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. Sophomore Kaleb Wesson scored 10 points a year ago in the only meeting with the Illini. He also added 10 rebounds.

https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/ohio-state-illinois-set-to-meet-thursday-in-columbus/
 
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BASKETBALL PREVIEW: OHIO STATE VS. ILLINOIS

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Just a couple weeks ago, Ohio State was mired in a slump. It lost its first five games of January and finished the month with a 13-7 record, a far cry from the 12-1 record it brought into the new year.

Things have changed again, though. The Buckeyes have won three games in a row and four of their past five. On Sunday, they toppled Indiana, 55-52, on the road to get back to .500 in the Big Ten.

Ohio State has a chance to make it four in a row and a better-than-.500 record in the conference when it takes on Illinois at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Schottenstein Center.

The teams already faced off on Dec. 5, with the Buckeyes picking up a 77-67 win in Chicago. But entering that game, the young Illini team had lost seven of their past eight games. This time, Illinois enters its game versus Ohio State with ample momentum. It has three wins in a row for the first time this season, including a victory against Michigan State.

Chris Holmann called the Illini a "much different team than what they were when" Ohio State faced them in December.

"They are probably just feeling confident," Chris Holtmann said. "Some of their younger kids have gotten some game experience under their belt. Obviously, (Trent) Frazier is a sophomore and he is playing really well. A couple of their freshmen are playing well and they are getting contributions from a lot of guys."

Emtire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...430/basketball-preview-ohio-state-vs-illinois
 
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Men’s Basketball: Ohio State faces new and improved Illinois

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Ohio State and Illinois are 7.5 games apart in record, but both teams find themselves in similar positions approaching their matchup.

The Buckeyes and Fighting Illini have each won three straight and four of their past five. But both are coming off a rough stretch, with Ohio State losing five in a row to start 2019 and Illinois losing 14 of its first 19 games of the season.

Both teams are in the bottom four in the Big Ten in rebounding due to a lack of size, and both are young teams improving with increased experience.

Even though Ohio State already defeated Illinois 77-67 on Dec. 5, head coach Chris Holtmann is expecting a new and improved Fighting Illini in the two months since the previous matchup.

“They’re a much different team than what they were when we played them in December,” Holtmann said. “A couple of their freshmen kids are playing really well and they’re getting contributions from a lot of guys.”

Projected Starters

Ohio State (16-7, 6-6 Big Ten)

G — C.J. Jackson — Senior, 12.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.6 apg

G — Luther Muhammad — Freshman, 10.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.0 apg

G — Musa Jallow — Sophomore, 2.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.3 apg

F — Andre Wesson — Junior, 8.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.5 apg

F — Kaleb Wesson — Sophomore, 14.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.8 apg

Illinois (9-15, 5-8 Big Ten)

G — Trent Frazier — Sophomore, 14.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.7 apg

G — Da’Monte Williams — Sophomore, 3.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.1apg

G — Ayo Dosunmu — Freshman, 14.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.2 apg

G — Aaron Jordan — Senior, 8.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.5 apg

F — Giorgi Bezhanishvili — Freshman, 12.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 0.9 apg

In Illinois’ previous four wins, it has defeated then-No. 13 Maryland, then-No. 9 Michigan State, Nebraska and Rutgers, all teams the Buckeyes have lost to at some point this season.

Against the Scarlet Knights, the Fighting Illini relied on freshman Giorgi Bezhanishvili, who finished the game with 35 points on 14-of-18 shooting from the field.

“He’s a versatile interior guy that plays really well in their offense and defensive stuff,” Holtmann said. “He’s really smart, he can score over either shoulder and obviously when you have 35, you’re playing pretty confidently.”

Illinois currently ranks No. 71 on KenPom, second-worst in the Big Ten to Rutgers. Ohio State is currently at No. 32 in the rankings. However, the Fighting Illini hold an advantage over the rest of the conference in forced turnovers.

At 17 turnovers forced per game, Illinois is No. 15 in the NCAA and No. 1 in the Big Ten. On the other end, Ohio State holds a 17.1 turnover percentage, turning the ball over the most in the Big Ten on average per 100 possessions.

“I do think that catches up to you,” Holtmann said. “It’s no secret, right? We’re playing a team that leads the league in turnover percentage defensively, and it’s the area that we’re the weakest in the league. We’re 14th. They’re No. 1, so certainly it’s a tough matchup for us in that regard.”

Entire article: https://www.thelantern.com/2019/02/mens-basketball-ohio-state-faces-new-and-improved-illinois/
 
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