Ohio State at Illinois Prediction - Basketball Picks 1/24/23

Illinois Fighting Illini (13-6) vs Ohio State Buckeyes (11-8)

Game Info: Tuesday, January 24, 2023 at 7:00 pm (State Farm Center)

Betting Odds: Illinois Fighting Illini -2 -- Over/Under: 147.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

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The Ohio State Buckeyes will head down to Champaign to face the Illinois Fighting Illini in Big Ten play from Assembly Hall on ESPN. Illinois leads the all-time series, 109-81, but OSU won last year’s meeting in Champaign by three points.

Ohio State moved to 11-8 after beating Iowa in Columbus. The Buckeyes pulled away from the Hawkeyes with a big second half, and picked up the 16-point win. Ohio State is scoring 77.8 points per game, while allowing 66.7 ppg and shooting 47.2% from the floor.

Ohio State snapped a five-game skid with the win over Iowa, but they’ll have to be sharp in Assembly Hall twice this week with Illinois and Indiana. The Buckeyes play through true freshman Brice Sensabaugh. The 6’6 forward has posted three straight double-doubles before going for a season-high 27 points in the win over Iowa last time out. Sensabaugh leads the team in scoring (17.5) and rebounding (5.6). Veteran forward Zed Key remains in the fold, and he’s leading the Bucks in boards (8.1), while scoring 12.1 ppg. 

Illinois dropped to 13-6 after losing to Indiana in Champaign. The Fighting Illini fell victim to a vintage performance from veteran forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, and were dealt a 15-point defeat. Illinois is scoring 76.2 points per game, while allowing 64.5 ppg, and shooting 45.9% from the floor.

Illinois had their four-game winning streak snapped after falling to Indiana, and they’ll look to respond here. Terrence Shannon Jr. has transferred in from Texas Tech and handled the lead role well. Shannon posted a big 25-point double-double in the win over Nebraska, and he scored 26 points against IU last time out. Shannon Jr. is leading Illinois in scoring (18.1), while grabbing 5.5 rpg. Baylor transfer Matthew Mayer double-doubled in the win over Minnesota, and he’s averaging 10.5 ppg. Veteran Coleman Hawkins remains in the fold, and he leads the team in rebounding (6.1), while scoring 9.6 ppg. 

Ohio State is 8-11 against the spread this season, with a 10-8 over/under record. Illinois is 10-8-1 ATS this year, with a 9-9-1 o/u record.

The Big Ten is a mosh pit once you look past Purdue, and these two teams find themselves right in the midst of the pack heading into the final third of the season. Ohio State has been shaky beyond Brice Sensabaugh this season, and after dropping their first game in five tries, the Illini will be looking to respond quickly. I like trusting an eager home team in this spot, so take Illinois' spread for this Big Ten contest.

Corey’s Pick Illinois -2

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The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.

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