Illinois basketball can win the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2005 by beating Ohio State this afternoon.
The Big Ten Tournament semifinals were an excellent display of college basketball yesterday as four teams that will be on the top two lines of the NCAA Tournament squared off for a spot in the championship game today. Illinois and Ohio State won those semifinals, setting themselves up for an epic title game in Indianapolis today.
The Fighting Illini had a much easier time in their game, building an eight-point lead over the Iowa Hawkeyes at the half en route to an 11-point win. Kofi Cockburn was a force early for Illinois, scoring 18 of his 26 points before the break to pave the way for the Fighting Illini’s big win.
Saturday afternoon was a bit more interesting for Ohio State, which has had trouble closing out games throughout the Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes nearly blew a double-digit lead for the third straight day as Michigan scored the final seven points of the contest, narrowly missing a chance at the win when Mike Smith’s jumper fell short in the final seconds.
Wins are wins, which is good enough for Ohio State, a team that was seriously struggling entering the Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes closed the regular season on a four-game skid but have done good work in Indianapolis to secure their position on the two-line ahead of the bracket reveal later today.
These teams split their season series with each winning on the other’s home floor. Neither game was decided by more than six points so we could be in for a classic contest to wrap up Championship Week.
How to bet and watch Illinois vs. Ohio State
- Date: Sunday, March 14
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Indianapolis, IN
- Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium
- TV: CBS
- Live Stream: CBS Sports App
- Line: Illinois -5.5 (FanDuel)
- Prediction: Illinois 79, Ohio State 75
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