Ohio State vs. Illinois Big Ten basketball preview, prediction, and odds

Ohio State is faced with another daunting challenge when it hosts No. 4 Illinois Saturday. We’ve got your preview, prediction, and odds.

Key Player For Ohio State

Guard, Justin Ahrens – Lost in the hand wringing and teeth gnashing of losing three games in a row is the fact that teams are starting to take away Justin Ahrens as a priority. He has just one bucket in the last three games, and it really forces others to step up and stretch the defense. Ahrens needs to find a way to get open through ball screens and cuts, and make some daggers from deep to give others room to operate. It’s an underrated part of this offense, but it absolutely kills the efficiency when OSU doesn’t have the threat of Ahrens from deep.

Key Player to Know for Illinois

Center, Kofi Cockburn – Ohio State got destroyed in the blocks by Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson and Iowa’s Luka Garza. There’s just not the height and athleticism in the paint to provide much resistance. E.J. Liddell, Kyle Young, and Zed Key do their best to hold ground, and there’s help that usually comes, but Cockburn can also be a load. If he’s getting position deep, cleaning up the glass, and providing too much resistance at the rim, it could be another loss for Ohio State.

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