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| Illinois Fighting Illini | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| 13-6 | January 23, 2014, 07:00 | Value City Arena | 15-4 |
College hoops betting interest focuses on the Ohio State vs Illinois battle Thursday at Value City Arena as the Buckeyes look to defend home court and cover the NCAA basketball point spread.
The Buckeyes bring a 15-4 record (9-9 ATS) to this tilt against the 13-6 Fighting Illini, who are 8-8-2 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have witnessed Ohio State go 7-11 so far and the Fighting Illini go 7-9-1.
View Illinois Fighting Illini vs Ohio State Buckeyes Odds and Stats.
Ohio State opened as -12-point favorites in this college basketball tilt over at Sportsbook but the number may be on the move. Watch for the Sportsbook total as well at Sportsbook.
The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Buckeyes rated this week at No. 7 and the Fighting Illini sitting at No. 114.
In their last action, Illinois was a 78-62 loser at home against Michigan State. They failed to cover the 4-point spread as underdogs. Tracy Abrams scored 15 points in a futile effort to lead the Fighting Illini to a win (they lost 78-62 to Michigan State at State Farm Center on Saturday).
Ohio State lost its last outing, a 68-62 result against Nebraska on January 20. They failed to cover in that game as a 7.5-point favorite. The Buckeyes endured a 68-62 loss at the hands of the Cornhuskers on Monday, despite a 12-point effort from Aaron Craft at Sportsbook Bank Arena.
How They Match Up:
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and Ohio State has the nation's No. 115-rated offensive output, at 73.26 PPG. The visiting Fighting Illini defense ranks No. 32 allowing on average 63.74 PPG. The Buckeyes FG% has averaged 45.91% so far, more than the Fighting Illini marksmen have achieved on the year, 41.56% per game.
A few Fighting Illini at Buckeyes trends to consider:
Illinois is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Illinois is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games
Illinois is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Illinois is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Ohio State is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games
Ohio State is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Ohio State is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Ohio State is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games at home
Next up:
Illinois at Indiana, Sunday, January 26th
Ohio State at Penn State, Wednesday, January 29th
