We are in the final few days of the college basketball regular season, with March Madness now very much on the horizon. Tournament tickets have been punched, but there are still spots to be played for, with a ton of teams on the bubble and hoping that they can somehow do enough between now and the start of the postseason to convince the playoff committee that they belong among the top 68 teams in the country. As is the case every year, not every single conference will receive equal representation in the tournament, as there are some that are just that much stronger than others. It could well be argued that the Big Ten Conference is at the top of the heap this year, as they could well send 9 or 10 teams into the postseason, including the two teams that will be going head to head in this matchup. The Illinois Fighting Illini are rolling right now, but they will have a tough game on their hands against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Thursday night. Ohio State is favored by 5 ½ at home, with the point total set at 132. Let’s see how the College Basketball odds will be for the Illinois vs Ohio State.
Illinois vs Ohio State 2020 College Basketball Game Preview & Betting Odds
- When: Thursday, March 5 at 7 PM EST
- Where: Value City Arena, Columbus
- TV: ESPN
- NCAAB Odds: Ohio State Buckeyes -5.5 / Total 132
Shootaround ✅#Illini vs. Buckeyes | 6 CT | @espn #JointheFight | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/CogmgMVWGs
— Illinois Basketball (@IlliniMBB) March 5, 2020
Why bet on the Illinois Fighting Illini
Every teams wants to get on a hot run of form in the days and weeks leading up to March Madness, and that is exactly where the Illinois Fighting Illini are at the moment. They looked to be in a spot of bother after losing 4 in a row and dropping out of the top 25, but they are back up to #23 after shaking off that bad run and bouncing back with 4 straight wins. That run has taken them to 20-9 on the season, which includes a 12-6 record in conference play. The Big Ten has been dog eat dog all season, so it’s perhaps no real surprise that the Fighting Illini are just a ½ game out of first with that conference record. Illinois is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games on the road.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 72.34
- Field Goal %: 44.14
- Three Point %: 31.15
- Free Throw %: 72.76
- Total Rebounds: 40.1
Defense
- Total Score: 64.72
- Field Goal %: 41.38
- Three Point %: 33.1
- Free Throw %: 70.23
- Total Rebounds: 31.76
Why bet on the Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are out of the conversation in regards the possibility of winning the Big Ten regular season crown, but they will be a part of the tournament this season. They are also finishing the season on a high note, winning 5 of their last 6 games to get to 20-9 on the season, although just 10-8 in games against conference opposition. The Buckeyes have been solid on home court all season long, going 15-2 SU in their own building. That level of home dominance has also carried over into their home games against Illinois, with the Buckeyes winning 8 of the last 9. They have covered the spread in each of their last 5 home games and are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 72.21
- Field Goal %: 44.75
- Three Point %: 37.82
- Free Throw %: 74.39
- Total Rebounds: 37.24
Defense
- Total Score: 62.34
- Field Goal %: 39.25
- Three Point %: 33.02
- Free Throw %: 68.33
- Total Rebounds: 31.55
Illinois vs Ohio State Betting Trends
- Illinois are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games.
- Illinois are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games against Ohio State.
- Illinois are 2-8 SU in their last 10 games against Ohio State.
- Illinois are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games on the road.
- Illinois are 1-8 SU in their last 9 games when playing on the road against Ohio State.
- Ohio State are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Ohio State’s last 7 games.
- Ohio State are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Ohio State’s last 11 games against Illinois.
- Ohio State are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games at home.
Illinois vs Ohio State Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
As good as Illinois has been over the last couple of weeks, you can see from the trends that they have just had zero joy when hitting the road to face Ohio State. That has me leaning toward the Buckeyes in this one.
Illinois Fighting Illini 65 Ohio State Buckeyes 73
