Ohio State basketball survives Illinois thanks to E.J. Liddell

The Ohio State basketball team almost let their game against Illinois slip away, but were able to finish when it mattered.

The Ohio State basketball team played really well for 30 minutes against Illinois today. They held a 15 point lead and were playing well on both sides of the ball. Illinois couldn’t get quality threes off and the Buckeyes were knocking down three after three.

After the second half started though, it was a whole different ballgame. The Buckeyes started hemorrhaging turnovers, committing 13 of them in the second half. It didn’t matter though as Ohio State was able to hold on for the 87-81 win.

E.J. Liddell was simply outstanding. He had a career-high 26 points on 10-16 shooting, including 4-7 from deep. He also added 7 rebounds and was the real reason the Buckeyes were able to win this game. Anytime the Buckeyes needed a bucket, they gave him the ball.

Justin Ahrens was good in this game as well. He had 11 points on 4-6 shooting and made 3 of his 5 three-point attempts before fouling out. Seth Towns also added 11 points off the bench on 4-6 shooting too. Duane Washington had 11 points on an excruciating 3-11 shooting but hit four clutch free throws down the stretch.

Justice Sueing was horrendous in this game. He had 9 points but only on 2-6 shooting and had 5 turnovers. He couldn’t get around anybody when dribbling and had some really bad decisions. He continues to struggle in Big Ten play.

Despite his poor play, Ohio State won anyway. They were able to do so because they shot 52% from three while only allowing Illinois to shoot 34.6% from three. They defended the three and hit the three, which is what we said the gameplan had to be.

This is a win that will look great on Ohio State’s resume. Chris Holtmann has his team playing well without having depth in the backcourt. His team is slowly climbing the Big Ten standings and is not going to be an easy victory for anyone.