The No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes are in for perhaps their stiffest test of the season Saturday when they travel to face the 23rd ranked Illinois Fighting Illini. This contest has an eerie feeling similar to the 2005-06 season when Illinois came into their final regular season game unbeaten and ranked No. 1. Ohio State knocked them off with a last second three-pointer.
The Illini will certainly be looking to return the favor and knock the Buckeyes from the top spot and the unbeaten ranks. College basketball lines for this Big Ten clash show odds of Ohio State -1.5 over Illinois with a total set of 137 points.
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Head coach Thad Matta has brought Ohio State (19-0, 6-0), a long way since taking over the Buckeyes during that 2005-06 season. Hoping to mitigate impending NCAA penalties, the program had announced that they would not accept any postseason tournament invitations that season. That’s because former head coach Jim O’Brien got caught up in those NCAA violations and was fired for it.
The win over Illinois that year was a huge stepping stone for Matta and the Buckeyes, and it paved the way to what would be dominance in the Big Ten from that point on.
Illinois (14-5, 4-2) entered that meeting with Ohio State with a 29-0 record and had stars in Deron Williams and Dee Brown along with tremendous depth. The Illini were trying to become the first team in 29 years to go through an entire Big Ten slate unbeaten. Ohio State was just 18-12 at the time and it seemed inevitable that the Illini would roll.
Obviously that wasn’t the case, and the Buckeyes have been a completely different team since. They have posted records of 35-4, 24-13, 22-11 and 29-8 in four seasons thereafter. Their 19-0 start this season is their third best in 112 years.
The Illlini are much better than that Ohio State team was back in 2005-06, with wins over the likes of Michigan State, Gonzaga, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Maryland already this season. They have played one of the most difficult schedules in the land and are certainly battle-tested and ready to go Saturday.
They have a stud point guard in Demetri McCamey, who has to be the early favorite to win Big Ten Player of the Year honors. McCamey is averaging 16.2 points, 7.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds this season while hitting on 52.5 percent of his 3-point shots.
Illinois is a very deep squad this year, as they have seven players averaging 20 minutes per game and all seven are putting up at least 5.6 points per contest. McCamey makes everyone around him better. Post players Mike Davis (10.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG), and Mike Tisdale (9.9, 7.3), are taking care of business inside.
The Buckeyes have a nice mix of youth and experience. Freshman Jared Sullinger has lived up to expectations and more, averaging 17.4 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while challenging McCamey for Big Ten Player of the Year honors. The trio of William Buford (13.7 PPG), David Lighty (13.0) and Jon Diebler (11.5) gives the Buckeyes stability and that veteran leadership this team needs to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Score: Ohio State 69 – Illinois 68
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