How to Watch: Illinois Basketball vs. Ohio State (Game 22)

The Illini picked a tough time to try to get back on track, with a scorching-hot Buckeyes squad up next

Jan 30, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) drives against Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Andrew Morgan (23) during overtime at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

How to Watch

No. 18 Illinois (14-7, 6-5 Big Ten) vs. Ohio State (13-8, 5-5 Big Ten)

Day and time: Sunday (Feb. 2) at 12 p.m. CT
Venue: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois
TV: CBS
Stream: https://www.cbssports.com/watch/live | CBS App
Listen: WDWS-AM 1400 (Champaign)
WLS-AM 890 (Chicago)
Illini Sports Network affiliates (other local markets)
Varsity Network app
SiriusXM 372
SXM App 372

Odds and Ends

Illinois vs. Ohio State all time: Illinois leads the series 112-82
Streak: Illinois has won two in a row against Ohio State
Last meeting: Illinois 77, Ohio State 74, (March 16, 2024, Columbus, Ohio)

Probable Illinois starters:

G Kasparas Jakucionis

G Kylan Boswell

G Tre White
F Ben Humrichous

F Morez Johnson Jr.

Back on our court.

📅 Feb. 2
🆚 Ohio State
⏰ 12 p.m. CT
📍 @statefarmcenter
📺 CBS
🎟 https://t.co/bIsyzwSeGR pic.twitter.com/wYx2VKaYWQ

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) February 1, 2025

Smart-Fan Stuff

Key stat: 37.4

Ohio State hangs its hat on 37.4 percent three-point shooting (third in the Big Ten) and is led by the long-distance dynamic duo of Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr., each of whom has hit 40-plus threes on the season and is shooting over 40 percent from deep.

Both Micah Parrish and Meechie Johnson Jr. have added 20-plus threes on better than 35 percent shooting, giving the Buckeyes four legitimate threats from beyond the arc.

So it'll be the unstoppable force versus the immovable object, as Illinois has the best ranked three-point-percentage defense in the Big Ten, holding opponents to 28.4 percent shooting.

Quick tips:

• Thornton is putting up 17.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 52.3 percent from the field and knocking down 1.9 triples per game on 45.1 percent shooting from long distance. An uber-efficient guard with three-level scoring ability, he will almost certainly be checked by Kylan Boswell, who has been an exceptional one-on-one defender against opposing guards this season.   

• Ohio State is riding high on an impressive three-game win streak. With two of those wins coming on the road – including at No. 10 Purdue – and two coming by 17 or more, the Buckeyes are arguably the hottest team in the conference.

Illinois on SI Prediction

Illinois, still clearly reeling from the prolonged absence of Tomislav Ivisic (mono), fell 80-74 in overtime at Nebraska on Thursday in one of its worst performances of the season. 

Meanwhile, the Illini are set to welcome to Champaign an Ohio State team playing its best basketball of the season. During their three game win streak, the Buckeyes have outrebounded all three of their opponents – two of them by a double-digit margin.

Although that trend may come to an end Sunday against an elite rebounding squad in Illinois, the Buckeyes will have numerous opportunities to make up for it in other aspects of the game, notably in an especially important one: scoring.

Without Ivisic, the Illini defense has cratered, allowing 80-plus points in two of Illinois' past three games. Previously, with Ivisic, the Illini had given up that many points just three times all season.

Expect a high-scoring affair that comes down to Illinois’ ability to get stops at the end of the game. Despite the Illini's recent inability to do exactly that, their track record at the State Farm Center, the matchups and even just the law of averages – Can they really keep putting up sub-30-percent shooting nights from three? – suggest they deserve the benefit of the doubt in this one.

Illinois 84, Ohio State 82

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

3 Key Numbers From Illinois Basketball's Loss at Nebraska

Illinois Basketball Falls Short Yet Again in Loss at Nebraska

Former Illini Kofi Cockburn to Return to Champaign for Jersey Ceremony