The Illini are set to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes at the State Farm Center in Champaign. What a matchup it will be for two highly talented teams who have struggled to find consistency over the course of the 2022-23 season. The two teams will tip off at 6pm on ESPN, and it’s sure to be a good one, as a classic Buckeyes vs Illini hardwood matchup always seems to be.
Illinois will look to redeem itself after suffering a brutal loss to the Indiana Hoosiers, where Trayce Jackson-Davis put on an absolute clinic, going 15-19 from the floor scoring 35 points, with 9 rebounds and 5 assists. A monster game for Jackson-Davis, who has struggled mightily vs Illini over his career as a result of All-American C Kofi Cockburn, which goes to show how great Kofi truly was. Jackson-Davis went to work versus Coleman Hawkins and Dain Dainja, who had no answer for the Hoosiers big man, until the defense started to double up. This gave the Hoosiers their first win over Illinois since 2019, and of course, it stinks.
However, a great opportunity for redemption lies ahead vs Head Coach Chris Holtmann and the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Illini are currently 4-point favorites at home according to ESPN.com.
Know the Enemy
Ohio State is currently 11-8 overall and 3-5 thus far during Big Ten play. The Buckeyes have lost 5 of their last 6 matchups, and have really slid over the month of January. Entering the beginning of 23′, the Buckeyes were the #24 ranked team in the nation before their close 71-69 loss to the #1 ranked Purdue Boilermakers. Since that point, the Buckeyes had lost 4 straight games to Maryland, Minnesota, Rutgers, and Nebraska, before finally pulling off a win vs Iowa to put themselves in the win column in January.
In a unique circumstance, the struggling Buckeyes are led in scoring by three Forwards, including Zed Key, Justice Sueing, and team scoring leader Brice Sensabaugh.
As a big framed, 6’6 F, Brice Sensabaugh averages 17.5 ppg, and is currently the Buckeyes best option to get the ball in the hoop. He is a problem from behind the arc, as he currently obtains 48% 3-point shooting percentage. Paired with the fact that he is a 51% shooter from the floor, Sensabaugh proves that he can light you up from anywhere. This will be a great test for big, athletic defenders like Terrance Shannon, and Matt Mayer, who will have to be all over the place to keep this big time scorer under control.
6’8 athletic Big man Zed Key is a familiar name to Illini fans, as we have seen some classic matchups between Zed and former Illini Big Man Kofi Cockburn. Key was apart of the Buckeye team Kofi and Ayo took down in the 2021 Big Ten championship game to secure the Illini’s crown as Big Ten tournament champion. Key, now a Junior, has remained a force for the Buckeyes, and is currently the team’s leading rebounder. Zed averages 12.1 ppg and will be a tough stop for Illinois when he has the ball in his hands. A defensive asset as well, Key will block shots and force you to take tough looks in the paint due to his athleticism and strength. It will be imperative that Dain Dainja avoids early foul trouble, and is able to provide a big-body to compete for rebounds, and make shots happen in the paint. This has been a problem for Dain, and Illinois has struggled in games where the foul bug bites early and often. If Zed is able to control the boards for both the offensive and defensive end of the floor on rebounding, Illinois is going to have similar results to what we saw from Trayce Jackson-Davis’s absolute domination of the Illini front court.
Senior Forward Justice Sueing is an athletic rim runner with a big frame standing in at 6’6 and 210 lbs. Seuing averages nearly 13 points per game and is a 44% shooter from the floor , who has a nice mid-range game. As only a 17% 3-point shooter, Justice will make most of his hay in the paint, and if there is not great communication from Shannon/Mayer and the Illini Big Men, Justice can be a player that goes off on you, and makes you pay.
Illini Now Prediction
Though this Illinois team has seen its fair share of tough losses this season, they have fought hard to regain their footing after a tough december month. They did so, and After 4- straight Big Ten wins prior to last weeks tough loss to Indiana, the Illini need to get themselves back on the momentum wagon they had hopped on previously. If they can control early fouls and not get demolished on the boards as they did vs Indiana, the Illini have a great shot to control this game. Illinois needs to hit their 3-point shots vs the Buckeyes, who have struggled from behind the Arc. If they can do so, it’s going to be a tough out for Ohio State.
Illini 81 Buckeyes 72
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