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Ohio State vs. Illinois Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal (Back the Buckeyes)

College basketball betting preview, prediction and best bet for Ohio State-Illinois. 

By Shelby Dermer

Mar 14, 2024; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Jamison Battle (10) celebrates his basket against Iowa.
Mar 14, 2024; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Jamison Battle (10) celebrates his basket against Iowa. / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
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At this point, you have to break up Ohio State’s season into two parts. Since parting ways with head coach Chris Holtmann, the Buckeyes have caught fire under interim head coach Jake Diebler, reaching 20 wins after taking out Iowa in the second round of the Big 10 Tournament on Thursday. No. 10 Ohio State needs another stellar underdog effort Friday evening against No. 2 Illinois to keep its slim NCAA Tournament hopes alive. 

No. 2 Illinois pulled away from the Buckeyes for a 12-point win in Columbus in January. The Fighting Illini won four of their last five games to finish the regular season and are hoping to lock up a high seed in the NCAA Tournament in the next few days. Here’s the betting breakdown of the matchup with a best bet. 

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Ohio State vs. Illinois Odds, Spread and Total

Ohio State vs. Illinois Betting Trends

  • Ohio State is 15-16-1 ATS this season
  • Illinois is 16-12-3 ATS this season
  • Ohio State is 5-5 ATS as an underdog this season
  • Illinois is 12-11-2 ATS as a favorite this season
  • The OVER is 18-14 in Ohio State games this season
  • The OVER is 21-10 in Illinois games this season

Ohio State vs. Illinois How to Watch

  • Date: Friday, March 15 
  • Game time: 6:30 p.m. EST
  • Venue: Target Center
  • How to watch (TV): Big Ten Network
  • Ohio State record: 20-12
  • Illinois record: 23-8

Ohio State vs. Illinois Key Players to Watch

Ohio State

Jamison Battle: Battle anchored a high-scoring Ohio State attack in Thursday’s second-round win over Iowa. Battle was one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with a team-high 23 points and nine boards. Battle averages 14.7 points per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. 

Illinois 

Terrence Shannon Jr.: The 6-foot-6 senior guard continues to pour in points and ranks eighth in the country in scoring at 21.6 points per game. Shannon ended the regular season with 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting in the road win over Iowa Sunday and put up 23 in the win over Ohio State in January. 

Ohio State vs. Illinois Prediction and Pick 

What’s changed for Ohio State besides its head coach? The Buckeyes defense ended the regular season by holding five of its six opponents to under 70 points. In its Big 10 Tournament opener, Ohio State held Iowa to 41.9% shooting and 8-of-21 from beyond the arc. 

Can the Buckeyes slow down Illinois? Ohio State’s defense does match up well with the Fighting Illini. Ohio State is No. 32 in the nation against 2-point shots, according to KenPom, and Illinois is the No. 34 shooting team from inside the arc. Ohio State’s susceptible from deep (No. 251), but Illinois shoots just 38.4% of its shots from downtown and scores less than 30% of its points from deep. 

On the offensive side of the ball, Ohio State is No. 35 in efficiency and have averaged 76.7 points per game since Diebler took over. Illinois is No. 360 in KenPom (third-worst in the country) in forcing turnovers, so Ohio State’s offense should be comfortable running its efficient half court sets. The Buckeyes are 6-1 straight up and ATS since firing Holtmann. They keep that momentum on Saturday. 

Game odds update periodically and are subject to change.

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