The No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini (7-2) and Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1) are set to face off Tuesday night, going head-to-head in Columbus. The Big Ten showdown will tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Peacock.
The Illini are 3.5-point favorites on the road with -185 moneyline odds, and the total has been set at 160.5 points. Here is a preview of the early conference matchup featuring odds and lines from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Illinois at Ohio State Preview
Illinois Preview
The Illini started the season red-hot, scoring 113 in back-to-back wins over Jackson State and Florida Gulf Coast. Their offense hasn’t been as dominant since, but an 81-77 win at home over No. 11 Texas Tech bolstered their resume regardless. Illinois fell 90-86 to No. 11 Alabama in Chicago and 74-61 to No. 5 UConn in New York before beating No. 13 Tennessee 75-62 in Nashville.
Senior guard Kylan Boswell is leading the Illini with 17.0 points and 3.8 assists per game, despite only shooting 29.5% from deep. Stanford and Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic has emerged as an elite scoring threat in his own right following a preseason knee injury, averaging 14.9 points per game. Freshmen David Mirkovic and Keaton Wagler are each averaging 13.8 points per game and rank No. 1 and No. 2 on the team with 9.6 and 5.6 rebounds a night. Then there are the Ivisic twins, Tomislav and Zvonimir, who are averaging 11.7 points and 7.4 points per game, respectively. The Croatian 7-footers both shoot over 36.7% from three-point range while averaging at least 5.0 rebounds per game, with Zvonimir also averaging 2.6 blocks per game.
Illinois ranks top-25 nationally in blocking shots, not committing fouls and limiting its own turnovers, but bottom-10 in forcing turnovers. Its 60.3% shooting from two and 77.0% mark from the line rank No. 29 and No. 32, respectively, all while its 29.1 three-point attempts per game are good for No. 39 in the country.
In the updated KenPom ratings, the Illini rank No. 11 in opponent-adjusted net efficiency rating. They boast a balanced profile, ranking No. 8 in offensive efficiency and No. 17 in defensive efficiency.
Ohio State Preview
After beating out IU Indy in a 118-102 track meet, the Buckeyes notched far more convincing victories over Purdue Fort Wayne and Appalachian State. Those early wins set the stage for Ohio State to beat Notre Dame 64-63 in Columbus, then improve to 5-0 by besting Western Michigan and Mount St. Mary’s. The Buckeyes proceeded to lose at the buzzer at Pittsburgh, only to recover and notch an 86-82 road win in their Big Ten opener versus Northwestern.
Senior guard Bruce Thornton is averaging a team-high 20.1 points, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game, on top of ranking second with 5.3 rebounds a night, too. Thornton is shooting a career-high 52.8% from three. Sophomore guard John Mobley Jr. gets the next-most looks, converting them into 14.0 points per game. Santa Clara transfer center Christoph Tilly, who hit the game-winner over Notre Dame, is averaging 13.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, hoisting up 3.1 triples a night as a 7-footer. Starting forwards Devin Royal and Brandon Noel – the latter of whom transferred in from Wright State – are averaging 13.4 and 9.4 points per game apiece. Freshman forward Amare Bynum is the most notable contributor off the Buckeyes’ bench, averaging 8.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Bynum nearly scored the potential game-winning putback layup against Pitt before the Panthers answered as time expired.
Ohio State ranks No. 4 nationally in field-goal percentage, sitting at No. 3 from two, No. 65 from three and No. 21 from the free-throw line. It also ranks bottom-50 in blocks, steals and offensive rebounds, so it doesn’t generate a ton of extra possessions.
According to KenPom, the Buckeyes rank No. 38 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 49 in adjusted defensive efficiency, bringing them to No. 34 overall.
Illinois at Ohio State Pick, Best Bet
Ohio State has the No. 330 strength of schedule, per KenPom, including the No. 359 non-conference strength of schedule. Notre Dame, Pitt and Northwestern constitute moderate tests, but Illinois is among the most elite teams in the country.
While the Illini have yet to play a true road game this season, they just beat Tennessee in Nashville. They also bring enough length and athleticism to the defensive end of the floor to disrupt the Buckeyes in ways that no one else has this season. Illinois’ strength of schedule ranks No. 70, too, so it is far more battle-tested than its Big Ten foes through one month of action.
Ohio State hasn’t failed to cover a 4.5-point spread this season, with its only loss coming by one point. It is also undefeated at home. And yet, Illinois has enough depth and dynamism to notch a relatively comfortable victory. The Illini are 3-0 against the Buckeyes over the last two seasons, winning by 12 in their last trip to Value City Arena in January 2024. They were a top-15 team in the AP poll going against an unranked Ohio State team that time, as well.
