Illinois basketball vs Ohio State Buckeyes: Gameday preview and guide

Illinois basketball will begin Big Ten play with a road matchup against Ohio State on Tuesday night in Columbus. It will be the Illini’s first true road game of the season, despite playing semi-road games against UConn and Tennessee. Illinois will look to secure its eighth win of the year and start league play 1-0.

When: Tuesday, December 9
Time: 6:30 p.m. CST
Channel: Peacock
Line: Illinois basketball -3.5

The Illini are coming off a major non-conference win over Tennessee and will look to keep the momentum going on Tuesday night. Ohio State enters the matchup at 7-1, with its lone loss coming at the buzzer on the road against Pittsburgh. The Buckeyes were projected to finish ninth in the Big Ten preseason media poll, but will look to exceed those expectations in head coach Jake Diebler’s second full season.

Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton, a preseason All-Big Ten selection, has looked like one of the best guards in the country. The senior is averaging 20.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game on an impressive 59.6% shooting. Kylan Boswell should be tasked with slowing down Thornton on Tuesday night, though it will be no easy assignment.

Tomislav Ivisic, who was left off the preseason All-Big Ten team, finally appears fully healthy. He’s coming off his best game of the season against Tennessee and could be in line for another big performance against the Buckeyes.

Illinois basketball enters as a slight road favorite and is expected to pick up its second straight win on Tuesday. A road victory to open conference play would set the tone early in the Illini’s quest for a Big Ten regular-season title.

______________________________________________________

Thank you for reading Armchair Illini! The Armchair team is proud to partner with Hamilton Walker’s Seafood and Spirits. Reserve your table HERE. Enter our home game giveaways on our social media pages to win a $50 gift card.

We are also proud to partner with the Campus Ink Illini NIL Store! Use the code: ARMCHAIRILLINI for 15% off your purchase. Please subscribe to the Armchair Illini Podcast on YouTube here.

Above all, for feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at alexkyi13@gmail.com. Additionally, please use our Seatgeek code for $20 off your purchase on Seatgeek.com: ARMCHAIRILLINOIS. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing Illinois media outlets around.

Finally, subscribe to our newsletter here for more Illinois news! Go Illini!