Ohio State survived an overtime scare at home from Indiana on Monday and now have to turn around and play again on Thursday. This game may just come down to Illinois being a much fresher team since the Illini last played on Saturday. Those extra five minutes for OSU could prove to be the difference.
How to watch Ohio State vs. Illinois Basketball
Game Matchup: #22 Ohio State (17-7, 10-5 Big Ten, 4th in Big Ten) vs. #15 Illinois (19-7, 12-4 Big Ten, T-2nd in Big Ten)
Venue & Location: State Farm Center (Champaign, Illinois)
Date: Thursday, February 24, 2022
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
TV: FS1 (Watch 7 days free with fuboTV)
Illinois is coming off a hard fought five-point win against Michigan State, but getting those five days off before this game will be big. Ohio State can make this game a slog, which Illinois can manage. But it would much prefer to be able to move the ball and get good looks to the big man inside with Kofi Cockburn.
Odds and prediction
Spread:
- Ohio State
- Illinois
Moneyline:
- Ohio State
- Illinois
Total:
Odds are via BetMGM.
Ohio State vs. Illinois Basketball Game Betting Preview
The Buckeyes have been a good shooting team so far this season and will likely have to shoot it a little better than usual to beat Illinois. The Illini hold teams to under 41% shooting from the floor and under 32% from beyond the arc. They also shoot a blistering 35.9% from three-point land themselves thanks to Alfonso Plummer and Trent Frazier leading them in the backcourt.
While the Illini have Kofi Cockburn as their big mismatch, the Buckeyes have EJ Liddell on the other end. He does everything for them and will be too fast for Cockburn to cover out on the perimeter. This game could easily come down to who uses their mismatch best and most often down the stretch.
The most important factor in this game could be the glass. Illinois is a top-30 rebounding team in the country and secures about five more rebounds per game than Ohio State. Their nearly three extra offensive rebounds per game could be the difference in this matchup as well since those could be the second chance opportunities Illinois needs to stave off OSU.
