Illinois vs Ohio State Odds, Spread & Picks (Feb. 26)

• Illinois is laying three points on the road in the Illinois vs Ohio State odds on Sunday
• The Buckeyes have dropped nine in a row
• Get the latest Illinois vs Ohio State odds and predictions below

Sunday’s college hoops slate is loaded with action, despite being light on contests featuring ranked programs. The slate gets underway at Noon ET with one of the first tips coming to us from Big Ten country.

Illinois (19-9, 10-7 Big Ten) will travel to Ohio State to face the Buckeyes (11-17, 3-14 Big Ten), and despite Ohio State’s miserable form online sportsbooks are not expecting a blowout per the college basketball odds.

Illinois vs Ohio State Odds

The Fighting Illini are currently 3-point favorites, in a contest that features a total of 145. The conference foes will battle at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, with CBS providing the broadcast nationwide.

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Odds as of February 25 at DraftKings Sportsbook. 

Illinois vs Ohio State Betting Trends

To say it’s been a lost season for Ohio State would be an understatement. The team is on a dreadful nine-game losing streak, and has won just three times in 17 conference matchups. They’ve also failed to cover in 14 of their last 15 outings, and boast a 2-15 ATS mark in Big Ten action.

Needless to say they won’t be a factor in the college basketball conference title odds, but their opponent on Sunday is still very much in the hunt. The Fighting Illini are fresh off back-to-back victories, most recently erasing a double-digit deficit to knock off no. 21 Northwestern.

A tale of two halves.#Illini | #HTTO | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/etAH7rn74k

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) February 25, 2023

Illinois hit a bit of a rough patch in early February, dropping three of four, but prior to that they reeled off seven Big Ten wins in eight tries. One of those victories was a 69-60 win over Ohio State. The Fighting Illini defense stymied what’s been a pretty good Buckeyes offense, holding them to 36.7% from the field.

Illinois enters play with a top-26 adjusted defensive efficiency ranking, and the 58th most efficient offense per KenPom’s metrics. That’s good enough for a top-27 overall grade, 43 spots higher than the Buckeyes. The Fighting Illini’s defense will be tested again on Sunday, however they shouldn’t find too much resistance on offense.

Ohio State grades out 137th in defensive efficiency, and is yielding an average of 69.4 points per game. Enemy shooters have a 49% effective field goal percentage against them this season, but have been granted plenty of second chance opportunities thanks to the Buckeyes weak rebounding chops.

Ohio State ranks 173rd defensive rebounding percentage, coughing up nine offensive boards per outing.

Illinois vs Ohio State Predictions

The Fighting Illini are currently projected as a 9-seed for March Madness. A strong Big Ten tournament run will go a long way to improving that position, and there’s still a chance they finish as a top-two team in the conference.

Illinois is currently tied for third in the Big Ten Standings, just a game back of Northwestern. The Fighting Illini will host Michigan after the Buckeyes tilt, before ending at no. 5 Purdue.

This contest is massive for them, while Ohio State has nothing to play for. The Buckeyes are destined to finish second last in the conference, and the only way they’re going to be dancing in March is if they pull off one of the most improbable runs ever in the Big Ten Tournament.

The Ohio State basketball season summed up in one final possession. pic.twitter.com/cP1cnYLIRI

— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) February 24, 2023

While Ohio State has been a dreadful team to bet on, the same cannot be said about Illinois. The Fighting Illini have covered in 10 of their past 14, and easily handled the Buckeyes as 3.5-point favorites in their first meeting. Illinois is 5-1 ATS in their last six road tilts, and should be able to ride their strong defense to another convincing win over the Buckeyes.

Pick: Illinois Fighting Illini -3 (-110)