Illinois Fighting Illini vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/30/2024

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Venue:  The Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH

Where to Watch:  Peacock

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Illinois -3, OSU +3; Over/Under:  150.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Illinois -3, OSU +3; Over/Under:  150.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Illinois -3, OSU +3; Over/Under:  150.5 points

Illinois Fighting Illini:  15-5 (6-3) (3rd place, Big Ten)

Ohio State Buckeyes:  13-7 (3-6) (11th place, Big Ten)

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Illinois Fighting Illini:  3-2  last 5

Ohio State Buckeyes:  1-4  last 5

Illinois is entering this game with a 15-5 record overall, a 6-3 record in conference games, and they are 2-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Indiana Hoosiers in their last game. Marcus Domask led the team in points per game in that game with 16 while Terrence Shannon Jr. was next on the team with 12. Marcus Domask led the team in assists with 4 in that game while Marcus Domask led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 37.1% from the field, 30.4% from 3-point range, and 65.4% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 82.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68.7 PPG against them. Illinois has an ATS record of 10-7-3 this season and their O/U record is 12-8.

Ohio State is entering this game with a 13-7 record overall, a 3-6 conference record, and they are 9-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Northwestern Wildcats in their last game. Bruce Thornton led the team in points in that game with 18 while Roddy Gayle Jr. was next on the team with 15. Roddy Gayle Jr. led the team in assists with 3 in that game while Felix Okpara led the team in rebounds with 5. They were 34.1% from the field, 23.8% from 3-point range, and 75.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 75.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68.2 PPG against them. Ohio State has an ATS record of 6-13-1 this season and their O/U record is 11-9.

The current betting odds have Ohio State listed as a 3 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Ohio State has looked good in their games this season with their 13-7 record overall, but they have struggled a lot more since entering conference play. They haven't looked great with their 3-6 conference record, but they have still looked really good in their home games all year with their 9-2 home record. Meanwhile, Illinois has also looked really good in their games this season with their 15-5 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country. They have also looked good in their conference games this season with their 6-3 conference record, but they have struggled more in their road games with their 2-3 road record. Illinois looked good in their last game as they beat Indiana but that was also a closer game and they are going to have a tougher time in this road game. Ohio State hasn't looked their best in conference play this season but they need a win badly to stop the bleeding and get some momentum back on their side so they will be bringing their best effort in this game, especially with a chance to pull off an upset win over another ranked team in the conference. The best way to place a bet here is on Ohio State to cover the spread in this game. 

Illinois Ohio State Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Tuesday, January 30, 2024 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Ohio State 82 Illinois 77.

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Illinois Fighting Illini: 7-1 ATS at road when the line is +3 to -3. 10-3 ATS after 5 straight games forcing the opponent to commit 14 or less turnovers. 10-4 ATS after 1 or more consecutive wins. 35-27 UNDER when the total is 150 to 159.5. 9-5 UNDER off a home no-cover where the team won straight up as a favorite. 

Ohio State Buckeyes: 6-13 ATS in all games. 1-8 ATS against conference opponents. 2-8 ATS off a loss by 10 points or more to a conference rival. 14-3 UNDER in a home game where the total is 150 to 159.5. 11-5 UNDER after 2 or more consecutive losses. 12-6 UNDER off a road loss against a conference rival.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  A. Hansberry (F) Out indefinitely - Back. S. Harris (G) out for season - Redshirt.

Ohio State Buckeyes:  O. Spencer (F) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed.

“We went from an eye-pleasing (overtime) loss (Wednesday) to Northwestern, at least for fans, to a very, very ugly win. But you have to win these kind of games. You have to find a way and we did.” - Brad Underwood after his team’s win against Indiana in their last game on Saturday.

“This is the first prolonged stretch of real struggle for us and we’ve got to respond like good teams do, and that’s focus on today, focus on the process of getting better and stay in the moment. You put enough of those days together, good things ultimately happen.” - Chris Holtmann on his team struggling in conference play this season.

M. Domask 

Q. Guerrier 

C. Hawkins 

T. Rodgers 

T. Shannon

J. Battle 

R. Gayle 

E. Mahaffey 

F. Okpara 

B. Thornton

PPG: T. Shannon Jr. (19.9)

APG: M. Domask (3.5)

Reb/G: Q. Guerrier (7.9)

PPG: B. Thornton (16.1)

APG: B. Thornton (4.4)

Reb/G: F. Okpara (7.1)

Coaches:

Illinois Fighting Illini: Brad Underwood (7th season)

Ohio State Buckeyes: Chris Holtmann (7th season)