Scarlet and Game
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Ohio State basketball must be disciplined vs. Illinois

By Ryan Stano

The Ohio State Buckeye bench players cheer after forward Justice Sueing (14) made a three-point shot late in the second half of Wednesday's NCAA Division I basketball game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Value City Arena in Columbus, Oh., on Wednesday, January 13, 2021. Ohio State won the game 81-71.Ohio State Vs Northwestern Bjp 25
The Ohio State Buckeye bench players cheer after forward Justice Sueing (14) made a three-point shot late in the second half of Wednesday's NCAA Division I basketball game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Value City Arena in Columbus, Oh., on Wednesday, January 13, 2021. Ohio State won the game 81-71.Ohio State Vs Northwestern Bjp 25 /
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The Ohio State basketball team takes on a really good Illinois team today at noon. The Buckeyes need to be disciplined to beat this team.

The Ohio State basketball team takes on 14th ranked Illinois today at noon on Fox. They do so while still being undermanned in the backcourt. Both C.J. Walker and Jimmy Sotos are once again unavailable due to injuries. It will be point guard by committee once again.

Ohio State did a really good job of dealing with that in their last game against Northwestern. Duane Washington handled most of the ballhandling duties, which was fine. Really, the Buckeyes just need someone to get the ball past half court before they get into their offense.

Unfortunately, Illinois is a much better team than the Wildcats. They are ranked 14th for a reason. Ayo Dosunmu is their leading scorer at 22.4 points per game. He’s an efficient scorer too, shooting almost 50% from the field and 42% from three.

The Buckeyes will have to stay glued to him all day. If he gets it going, they are in trouble. Kofi Cockburn will need to be taken care of too. He averages 17.3 points a game and adds 10 rebounds a game too. Ohio State needs to box out well on missed shots.

The biggest key for the Buckeyes is defending that three-point line. Illinois is the fifth-best team in the country at hitting the deep ball, shooting at a 42% clip as a team. Ohio State cannot afford to get in a shootout with this team, as they only shoot 32.8 % from three.

Game prediction: Illinois 79 Ohio State 70

Ohio State just isn’t competitive enough from three to win this game. They have some shooters who can get streaky, but not enough consistency from back there to keep up with Illinois. The only way they win this game is if Washington, Seth Towns, and Justice Sueing get hot from deep.

Next. Ohio State's defensive line could be elite again in 2021. dark

Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem likely since it has hardly happened all season long. The Buckeyes are likely to drop a tough one here.

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