Ohio State Basketball vs. Illinois State: Preview
By Ryan Stano
![Ohio State Buckeyes forward Kyle Young (25) is defended by Southeast Missouri State Redhawks forward Isaiah Gable (13) during the first half of the NCAA men's basketball game at Value City Arena in Columbus on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019. [Adam Cairns/Dispatch]Sp Osumbk 121819 Ac 06](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fe8d77ed0a7ca1cb12924721efb1f66597ed331786d835660d509f519a87d7993.jpg "Ohio State Buckeyes forward Kyle Young (25) is defended by Southeast Missouri State Redhawks forward Isaiah Gable (13) during the first half of the NCAA men's basketball game at Value City Arena in Columbus on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019. [Adam Cairns/Dispatch]Sp Osumbk 121819 Ac 06")
Ohio State basketball starts their season today as they take on Illinois State. This should be a nice early test for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State basketball is officially back! The Buckeyes start their season by taking on Illinois State at the Schott. Ohio State has a very different team than they did a year ago so it will be interesting to see how they gell together in this first competitive game since March.
One of the things I’m most excited to see is the starting lineup. I assume Kyle Young, E.J. Lidell, C.J. Walker, Justice Sueing, and Duane Washington will be the first five out there. The only one I’m not super confident in being out there is Sueing since we haven’t seen him play yet.
As far as their opponent today, Illinois State is not a bad first opponent. Despite the fact that they finished last season with just a 10-21 record, the Redbirds still have talent. They also have an almost completely new team, not unlike the Buckeyes.
Look out for D.J. Horne. He was named to the All-MVC Freshman team last season. He can is expected to take a leap this year and is very athletic at the guard position. The Buckeyes will likely key in on him on the defensive end of the floor.
Game prediction: Ohio State 75 Illinois State 50
Ohio State destroyed some of its early-season non-conference opponents last season. That was with a different team though. I’m not entirely sure who is going to take up the bulk of the scoring this season. It could be Sueing, Liddell, or even Washington.
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Until we figure out who that primary scorer is going to be, the Buckeyes will likely rely on their defense to suffocate opponents and prevent them from scoring easy buckets. This first game today will tell us a lot about the offensive gameplan for the rest of the season.