The No. 17 Ohio State Buckeyes are giving the Purdue Boilermakers a chase atop the standings of the Big Ten conference, and a win this Sunday against the Illinois Fighting Illini could take them a step closer to that goal. Will the Buckeyes take care of their assignment? Or will Illinois throw a big wrench into their plans? Register to bet and wager with your pick.
Betting Preview for the Illinois Fighting Illini vs Ohio State Buckeyes NCAA Basketball Game on February 4, 2018
Where: Value City Arena
When: Sunday, February 4 12:00 PM EST
Line: Illinois Fighting Illini (n/a) vs Ohio State Buckeyes (n/a)–view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: FS1
Betting on the Illinois Fighting Illini (12-11)
The Fighting Illinis went bonkers from beyond the arc last Tuesday, when they took down Rutgers in a 91-60 home win. Illinois drained 11 of their 27 attempts from long range. Trent Frazier, who averages 11.7 points per game, went wild with five threes and finished with 17 points. Frazier and the Fighting Illinis could find success from beyond the arc again this Sunday against an Ohio State defense that allows opponents to sink eight three-pointers per game. The Fighting Illinis can’t fall in love too much with the deep ball, but they will have to take open shots, as Ohio State remains a strong defensive team with only 66.2 points allowed per game. The under is 9-1 in the last 10 road games of Illinois, which is scoring 77.0 points per game.
Betting on the Ohio State Buckeyes (19-5)
After suffering a heartbreaking loss at the buzzer against Penn State, the Buckeyes picked themselves up with a moral-boosting 71-56 thumping of Indiana at home lat Tuesday. Jae’Sean Tate led the way for the Buckeyes, as he scored a team-high 16 points, while Keita Bates-Diop produced 13 points. Bates-Diop os pacing the team with 19.6 points per game. The win is a nice momentum-builder for the Buckeyes who will head home looking to extend their dominance of Illinois in Columbus. The Buckeyes have won all of their last seven matchups with the Fighting Illini at home. With the Illinis probably going to test their shooting touch early, the Buckeyes need to control the rebounding battle to prevent Illinois from getting more chances on offense. The Buckeyes are getting 36.9 rebounds per game, and beat the Hoosiers on the glass by a wide margin, 39-26.
Writer’s Prediction:
Ohio State hands the Fighting Illini a 79-69 loss.
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