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The No. 14 Illinois Fighting Illini are hosting their Big Ten rival No. 21 Ohio State Buckeyes for a conference matchup on Saturday. The Buckeyes have been hovering around the 20th spot of the college basketball rankings for weeks, and won both of their conference games last week. The Fighting Illini were shocked in a 3-point upset by the Maryland Terrapins in their last game, and are in need of a bounce-back win on Saturday.
Match Details
Fixture: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Illinois Fighting Illini - NCAA Men's Basketball
Date & Time: Saturday, January 16th, 2021, 12 PM ET
Venue: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois
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Ohio State Buckeyes Preview
The Ohio State Buckeyes had impressive victories over the No. 15 Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Northwestern Wildcats last week, both wins by 10 or more points. The Buckeyes have had a bit of rest due to their previous scheduled game versus the Penn State Nittany Lions being postponed due to COVID precautions. The Buckeyes' offense has been scoring in bunches this season, and have been led by junior guard Duane Washington Jr. The Buckeyes currently hold the 5th spot in the Big Ten standings, and would tie the Fighting Illini at 5-3 in Big Ten play with a win on Saturday.
Key Player - Duane Washington Jr
Ohio State's offense has been powered by the scoring of Duane Washington Jr. this season. Through 13 games, Washington Jr. is averaging 15.7 points and 2.7 assists per game. The Buckeyes had great performances from Duane Washington Jr. in each of their last two wins, tallying 17 points against Rutgers and a career-high 23 against Northwestern. Washington Jr. will hope to keep the hot hand on Saturday as the Buckeyes look to take down the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Ohio State Buckeyes Predicted Lineup
G CJ Walker, G Duane Washington Jr., F Kyle Young, F Justice Sueing, F E.J. Liddell
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Illinois Fighting Illini Preview
The Illinois Fighting Illini found themselves on the losing side of a back-and-forth battle with the Maryland Terrapins last Sunday. The Fighting Illini then had their following game with the Nebraska Cornhuskers postponed due to COVID protocol. The offense of Illinois will be their biggest concern against the Ohio State Buckeyes, as the Fighting Illini scored a season-low 63 points in their most recent loss. The Illinois Fighting Illini will need to regain their rhythm offensively if they want to avoid a second straight loss.
Key Player - Kofi Cockburn
The Illinois Fighting Illini will need a dominant performance in the paint from their big man Kofi Cockburn on Saturday. The 7-foot Jamaican sophomore has been a commanding presence down low this season, averaging a team-high 10 rebounds per game.
Cockburn led Illinois in scoring in their last matchup, tallying 21 of his team's 63 points. The Fighting Illini will hope for another big-time performance from Cockburn as they try to fend off the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Illinois Fighting Illini Predicted Lineup
C Kofi Cockburn, G Trent Frazier, G Da'Monte Williams, G Ayo Dosunmu, G Adam Miller
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Ohio State vs. Illinois Prediction
The Illinois Fighting Illini will need to produce on the offensive end in order to keep pace with the strong shooting of the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Fighting Illini are battling to remain among the top teams in the Big Ten, and a win on Saturday would improve their conference record to 6-2. I predict the Illinois Fighting Illini will successfully bounce back and take down the Ohio State Buckeyes in a very close battle.
Where to watch Ohio State vs. Illinois?
The game will be available for live-stream on the Big Ten Network.
