— Thursday, February 24th Ohio State Buckeyes @ Illinois Fighting Illini
If the Illinois Fighting Illini (19-7, 12-4) are going to win the Big Ten regular-season title, they need to catch the Purdue Boilermakers, who have a half-game lead and the tiebreaker thanks to a season sweep.
Next up for the No. 15 Illini is a home date with No. 22 Ohio State (17-7, 10-5) as the Buckeyes look to secure a top-four conference slot. Tipoff at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois, is set for 9:00 p.m. ET Thursday on FS1.
This is the only regular-season matchup between these teams in the 2021-22 season. Last season the road team won both regular-season games, and the Illini won in overtime during the Big Ten Tournament. OSU is 6-4 against the Illini in the last ten meetings, including 3-1 in Champaign since 2015.
Liddell Center Stage for Buckeyes
The Buckeyes are 13-11 ATS, and the over is 14-10 in their 24 games. They are 5-6 away from home this season with a 4-5 record in true road games. The Buckeyes are 3-3 against ranked teams, 0-2 on the road at Wisconsin and Purdue.
They rank 31st in the nation in 3-point shooting at 37.4% and 26th in overall shooting at 48%. The Buckeyes are 102nd in scoring at 74.2 ppg and rank 112th defensively, allowing 66.8 ppg. They allow 32% shooting from 3-point range, ranking 107th, but they are 55th in overall FG% defense at 40.9%.
Center E.J. Liddell has scored in double figures in every game this season and has six double-doubles. He has scored at least 15 points in eight straight games, and he’s averaging 22 ppg against ranked teams this season.
Liddell leads the Buckeyes with 19.5 ppg, 7.6 rebounds per game, and 2.5 blocks per game. Malakai Branham scores 11.8 ppg and shoots 46% from the 3-point range. Zed Key averages 8.8 ppg, and Justin Ahrens leads the team with 39 made 3-pointers on the season, four more than Liddell.
Cockburn Leads Illini
The Illini are 12-14 ATS on the season, 3-3 in their last six games. The over is 15-10-1 in their 26 games, also going 3-3 in the last six games, and the over is 12-7-1 in their 20 games.
They are 11-2 at home, with the losses coming against Purdue and Arizona. The Illini are 3-3 against ranked teams this season, with two losses to Purdue and wins this month over Wisconsin and Michigan State.
The Illini rank 59th in the country in scoring at 76 ppg, and they are 71st in 3-point shooting at 35.9%. Defensively, Brad Underwood’s team is 107th in scoring (66.7 ppg), 45th in FG% defense (40.6%), and 86th against the 3-pointer (31.6%).
Big man Kofi Cockburn is among the national leaders at 21.7 ppg and 11.2 rpg while shooting 61% from the field. Cockburn had 27 in Saturday’s win at Michigan State over the weekend and has scored at least 10 points in every game he’s played this season with 16 double-doubles. Cockburn is even better at home, where he averages 23 ppg, 12 rpg and shoots 66% from the floor.
Utah transfer Alfonso Plummer is averaging 14.7 ppg and shooting 43% from 3-point range on the season. He leads the Illini with 74 3-pointers made at 2.8 per game, 20 more than Trent Frazier. Frazier averages 12.4 ppg, shooting 41% from deep, while Jacob Grandison shoots 46% from 3-point range and averages 10.5 ppg.
Since returning from injury, guard Andre Curbelo has averaged 8.5 ppg but gone over 10 points just twice. The Illinois starters scored 73 of the 79 pints at Michigan State on Saturday, with four players scoring at least eight points in the win.
Betting Analysis
- Ohio State Buckeyes +6 (-110).
- Illinois Fighting Illini -6 (-110).
- Total Points 140. Over -110. Under -110
Liddell and Cockburn have gone head-to-head four times, with each tweak winning twice. Liddell has 74 points and 29 rebounds in those games, while Cockburn has 49 points and 29 rebounds.
Look for the Illini to get Cockburn going early, and the way the referees control the physical play inside will have a big impact on this one.
Betting Pick: Under 140 (-110)
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