Ohio State Buckeyes vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 2/24/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Thursday, February 24, 2022

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: FS1

The Illinois Fighting Illini (19-7) will play the Ohio State Buckeyes (17-7) at State Farm Center on Thursday.

The Ohio State Buckeyes faced off with Indiana and earned the victory with a final of 80-69 in their last game. In reference to fouls, the Buckeyes ended up finishing with 22 while Indiana recorded 21 fouls. They also made 6 of their 19 attempts from beyond the arc. Indiana went 70.4% from the free throw line by converting 19 of 27 attempts. Moreover, Indiana collected 33 rebounds (12 offensive, 21 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Indiana doled out 12 dimes and had 6 steals for this contest. When discussing defense, Ohio State allowed 34.4% from the field on 22 out of 64 shooting. They also dished out 8 dimes in this game in addition to forcing 11 turnovers and getting 4 steals. In terms of pulling down rebounds, they collected 32 with 5 of them being of the offensive sort. At the charity stripe, the Buckeyes buried 22 of 28 attempts for a rate of 78.6%. Ohio State walked away from the contest having earned a 48.1% field goal percentage (26 out of 54) and made 6 out of their 19 three-point shots.

Malaki Branham is a player who was a major contributor in this contest. He shot 69.2% from the floor and also totaled 3 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 39 minutes and grabbed 5 boards. He notched 27 points on 9 out of 13 shooting.

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Ohio State will play this game with a record of 17-7 this season. They are averaging 74.2 points per game (104th in the country) on 47.9% from the field. The Buckeyes are hitting 37.4% on three-point shots (197 of 527) and 74.7% from the charity stripe. As a team, Ohio State is snagging 35.1 rebounds per game and has accounted for 331 assists so far this year, which is 224th in the nation in terms of passing. They cough up possession 11.2 times per contest and as a unit are committing 16.3 personal fouls every game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Buckeyes are able to force 10.5 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.4 personal fouls. They rank 38th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 276 conceded for the season. The Buckeyes defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 40.9% (574 of 1,403) and they surrender 32.2 boards per contest as a unit. They are relinquishing 32.0% from beyond the arc and they rank 110th in college basketball in points per game allowed (66.8).

When they last played, the Illinois Fighting Illini took home the win by a final score of 79-74 against Michigan State. Regarding attacking the glass, Illinois permitted Michigan State to pull down 32 overall (9 offensive). They shot 38.1% from behind the 3-point line by going 8 out of 21 and ended up shooting 8 of 12 at the free throw line (66.7%). The Fighting Illini permitted Michigan State to make 29 out of their 62 tries from the floor which had them at 46.8% in this game. When the final whistle blew, the Fighting Illini finished 27 for 60 from the field which had them shooting 45.0%. When it comes to shots from distance, Illinois converted 8 of their 27 tries (29.6%). They were able to make 17 of the free throws for a rate of 73.9%. Michigan State committed 20 personal fouls for this game which got the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for 23 attempts. They coughed up the ball 8 times, while earning 6 steals in this contest. The Fighting Illini were able to corral 22 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards for a total of 33 in the matchup.

Jacob Grandison ended up being a factor for the Fighting Illini for this game. He converted 8 out of 12 in this matchup for a rate of 66.7%, and had 5 rebounds. He earned 24 points in his 31 mins of playing time and had 5 assists in the game.

Illinois has a win-loss mark of 19-7 so far this year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Fighting Illini are connecting on 45.5% from the floor, which has them ranked 97th in the country. Illinois has totaled 1,976 points this year (76.0 per contest) and they collect 39.7 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 15.7 times per game (40th in college basketball) and they are turning it over 12.7 times per contest. The Fighting Illini are responsible for committing 16.3 fouls every game and they hit 70.9% from the free throw line.

The Fighting Illini on defense are ranked 108th in the country in points given up per game with 66.7. They have forced 10.8 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 40.6% from the floor (47th in college hoops). The Illinois defense gives up 31.6% on 3-point attempts (147 of 465) and their opponents are converting on 72.0% of their foul shots. They have relinquished 10.2 assists and 32.5 boards per game, which has them ranked 23rd and 80th in those categories.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Ohio State

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