Illinois Defeats Ohio State 88-80 In Men’s Basketball
Illinois is a ranked Big Ten team that has already played several big-time opponents. It was a tough match for Ohio State, and the Buckeyes fell 88-80. Illinois is fifth in the nation in first-half scoring at 45 points per game. Illinois led at halftime in this game, 48-42, so Illinois was a little above average.
Fans of Ohio State should wonder if the home loss to Illinois portends bad things for the Buckeyes. Even though Illinois is ranked as a difficult opponent, Ohio State needs to defend its home court. Winning games against tough opponents like Illinois is the way to signify that Ohio State is for real. They missed an opportunity in this game. If Ohio State has a bad season, do you think Ohio State Coach John Diebler should lose his job?
Illinois and Ohio State First Half
This was a back-and-forth contest that was close throughout. Ohio State scored first in this game with Christoph Tilly getting a rebound off a miss by John Mobley Jr. and laying it in. In a theme for the game, Bruce Thornton hit the deep three-pointer to give Ohio State a 5-2 lead with 17:27 left in the first half.
That lead was soon undone with some sloppy play by the Buckeyes. Ohio State stepped on the baseline out of bounds a drive, then had an offensive foul attempting to set a pick. The Illini took advantage and led 8-5 with 15:42 left.
The Illini shot well in the first half, but Thornton did his best to keep the game close. He hits his third three-pointer, and Illinois led 24-15 with 11:21 left in the half. They still led 26-20 with 10:14 until halftime. Thornton had 16 points already in the first half on 6-of-6 shooting. Ohio State will need more contributions, but the Buckeyes’ captain kept this one close, almost single-handedly. Illinois led 30-24 as the teams headed to the under-eight-minute timeout at 7:40 left in the first half.
It took a long time, but Thornton finally missed. Then, the Illini go on a little run and lead 39-34 with 2:27 left until the break. Illinois has had a good half shooting the ball, but so has Thornton. The Illini led 48-42 at the half, and it sure feels like Illinois couldn’t play much better.
Second Half Recap
Ohio State had a good start to the second half and cut the lead to one point. The score was 50-49 after Mobley Jr. made a layup with 17:00 minutes left in the game. Both teams were making plays in the second half, and we still had a one-point lead for the Illini with the score 56-55 with 14:32 left in the game.
Ohio State has quit making shots, even easy ones, and the result is that the Illini have taken modest control of the game, leading 60-55 with 12:00 left. Missed free throws, bad fouls, missed shots, Ohio State could be in much better shape, but just not playing winning basketball when it counts, and are now down 68-62 with 9:00 to go.
It is going to be an uphill climb if the Buckeyes cannot start playing smarter basketball. Illinois is moving better, playing together better, and playing winning basketball. Ohio State trails 70-64 with 7:19 left in the game.
The Buckeyes are not making shots, and the Illini are making enough of them to take mild control of this one. Ohio State trailed 75-68 with 3:51 left in the game. Tilly made two free throws and cut the lead to 79-74. Ohio State got a stop on defense, and Devin Royal got a layup through traffic on the other end to cut Illinois’ lead to 79-76 with 1:09 to go.
Bad luck for Ohio State as Illinois gets a very friendly roll on a 3-pointer to say the least. Illinois led 82-76 with 44.7 seconds left. Then things got worse for Ohio State. Thornton dribbled the ball out of bounds with 33.7 seconds to go in the game. That was about it, and the Illini won the game.
News and Notes
- Thornton had 34 points for Ohio State in the loss.
- Illinois came into this game ranked 13th. That ranking will probably rise as a result of this road win.
- Ohio State fell to 1-1 in conference play with this loss. The Buckeyes are now 7-2 overall. Illinois is 8-2 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten conference.
- Ohio State did get some balanced scoring contributions in this game. Tilly scored 13 points and recorded a team-high 8 rebounds. Royal, who is from Pickerington, Ohio, added 15 points, including 11 in the second half.
- In this game, Thornton reached the 1,400-point and 400-assist plateau.
- Illinois has brothers who are both seven feet tall on its front line.
Conclusion
Illinois is a tough opponent, but this is a game Ohio State should have won. They squandered an opportunity and a great performance from Thornton. It does not get easier for Ohio State; they travel to Cleveland on Saturday, December 13, for a neutral-site, non-conference showdown with West Virginia.
