Big Ten battle pits Fighting Illini against Buckeyes

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/22/2009 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big Ten rivals collide in Columbus today, as the Ohio State Buckeyes play host to the 18th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini.

Illinois coach Bruce Weber is hoping his team puts forth a much better offensive showing than it did in a recent loss to Penn State, as the Illini scored a mere 33 points, by far their worst effort of the season. Despite the setback, Illinois is still having a sensational campaign, going 21-6, which includes a 9-5 mark in conference. The Illini, who haven't lost consecutive games this year, are an even 4-4 in true road games, winning two in a row outside of Champaign. Consistency is the key to UI's success as the team has run out the same starting five in 25 straight games.

Ohio State will try to put the brakes on a two-game slide, and the team should be confident coming in as it sports a 13-2 home record to this point in the season. At 17-7 overall and 7-6 in Big Ten play, coach Thad Matta's club can significantly improve its chances of securing an NCAA Tournament bid with a win over the Illini this afternoon. The Buckeyes are 5-4 against ranked foes this season, and have won two in a row over such opponents. Going back a bit further, OSU has won seven of its last 11 against teams in the Top-25.

These two teams met in Champaign back on January 20th, with the Illini taking a 67-49 decision. As a result, Illinois' lead in the all-time series stands at 101-64. Ohio State owns a 40-39 advantage in games played in Columbus over the years, and the Buckeyes have won three straight versus the Illini at Value City Arena.

Balance on offense and one of the stingiest defenses in the country are the reasons Illinois is in position to challenge for the Big Ten regular-season title as well as a favorable seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Demetri McCamey leads the team in scoring (11.8 ppg) while ranking second to Chester Frazier in assists (130). Frazier has dished out 144 helpers and has come up with a club-best 37 steals. Mike Tisdale (11.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg), Mike Davis (10.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Trent Meacham (10.0 ppg) round out the unit's double-digit scorers, demonstrating the total team concept rather than relying on one or two star players. The Illini are allowing just 55.7 ppg and the team ranks second in the conference and 28th nationally in FG percentage defense (.392) while sitting atop the league and placing eighth in the country in three-point FG percentage defense (.286). The Illini certainly did the job defensively in the recent loss to Penn State, holding the Nittany Lions to 28.3 percent shooting from the floor and only 38 points. Unfortunately, Illinois couldn't find open shots, and missed the majority of the ones it did, netting 33 points (UI's lowest point total in more than 60 years) on only 30 percent FG efficiency.

Ohio State's Evan Turner is one of the more productive players in the Big Ten, averaging 17.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game to lead his team in all three categories. William Buford (11.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and Jon Diebler (11.3 ppg, 3.3 ppg) are both netting double digits for the Buckeyes, who put up 67.8 ppg while permitting 61.3 ppg. The team is knocking down its field goals at a 48.3 percent clip while allowing the opposition a 40.3 percent success rate. Diebler went off in OSU's recent 72-69 loss at Northwestern, scoring 28 points on the strength of eight three-pointers, the team as a whole converting 52.6 percent from out on the perimeter. Turner added 14 points, six assists and five boards in the setback, while B.J. Mullens came off the bench to log a double-double with 11 points and the same number of rebounds. The Buckeyes led by double digits in the second half, but the Wildcats rallied to put an end to OSU's 11-game win streak in the series.

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