The Big Ten Tournament continues Friday from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota with the Ohio State Buckeyes taking on the Fighting Illini of Illinois. Ohio State was a big winner on Thursday, as they downed the Iowa Hawkeyes by 12. The Buckeyes started the Big 10 tournament as the 10th seed. Ohio State is 20-12 on the season.
Illinois is the second seed in the Big Ten Tournament, trailing only Purdue. The Fighting Illini went 23-8 in the regular season and 14-6 in conference play. Illinois finished the regular season strong by beating Iowa.
Illinois is -4.5 over Ohio State in this one on Friday. The total is listed at 154.5.
Buckeyes Looking to Strengthen Resume
The Ohio State Buckeyes have had quite the season, one that saw them fire their head coach Chris Holtman mid season. Now, Ohio State has won five straight games. The last time Ohio State lost was February 22nd on the road at Minnesota. The wins have come over Michigan State, Nebraska, Michigan, Rutgers and now Iowa.
In the win over Iowa, Jamison Battle scored a game high 23 points, and ripped down 9 rebounds. Three other guys scored double digits for the Buckeyes. Both Bruce Thornton and Scotty Middleton scored double digits off the bench.
Ohio State, as a team, is scoring over 75 points per game. The Buckeyes are one of the top free throw shooting teams in the nation, as they are making 77%. Ohio STate lost one non conference game, and that was to Texas A+M
Fighting Illini with Big Expectations
Brad Underwood’s Fighting Illini feel they have a legitimate chance to reach the NCAA Final Four. The Illini have won four out of their last five games, with the lone loss coming to the Purdue Boilermakers. The Illini are one of the top scoring teams in all of College Basketball. The Orange and Blue are scoring 83.9 points per game.
Terrence Shannon Jr leads the team with 21.6 points per game. Shannon Jr is also ripping down 4.2 rebounds per game. Marcus Domask, who transferred from Southern Illinois is second on the team with 16 points per game. He is also one of the top rebounders on the team with 6.1 per game.
The Illini lost the non-conference early to Marquette, and then also lost to Tennessee. Illinois has a notable win over Florida Atlantic. The worst loss of the season for the Fighting Illini was at home on January 14th to the Maryland Terrapins.
Illinois Moves on in Big Ten Tournament
Illinois is going to win this game. It has been a nice run for Ohio State. They are going to be a little too short in this one, and for the tournament. Illinois is on a mission to get a third shot at Purdue, and that means the Big Ten title game.
We are taking Illinois -4.5 over Ohio State in this game on Friday! Enjoy the game and best of luck with all your Big Ten betting!
100% up to $3,000 Bonus
Bovada is our most recommended ONLINE CASINO and POKER ROOM for US players with excellent deposit options. Get your 100% signup bonus today.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.