Ohio State vs. Illinois, Big Ten Championship: First Half Notebook

Here are some first half thoughts as the Buckeyes and Illini fight for a conference crown.

Halftime Score: Ohio State 35, Illinois 40

The Buckeyes are essentially playing a road game this afternoon. This place is extremely loud with an awfully strong Orange and Blue presence.

Ohio State couldn't have gotten off to a worse start offensively ... and unfortunately, it didn't get better for a good 12 minutes. They missed nine straight shots to start the game, including all six 3-pointers. But thanks to a 5-of-6 showing from the free throw line at the outset, the Buckeyes hung in there through the rough opening stretch.

Justice Sueing hit a lay-up with 13:26 to finally end that drought.

Meanwhile, Kofi Cockburn is roughing up the Scarlet and Gray in the interior. He scored nine of Illinois' first 16 points, and all four baskets came from the paint.

Ohio State's saving grace during its ice cold start was a whistle-happy group that called seven fouls on the Illini in eight minutes. But Illinois hit five consecutive shots and took a 22-9 lead with 11:46 to play on a Da'Monte Williams 3-pointer.

With 8:26 left in the half, Duane Washington Jr. hit a lay-up driving at the right side of the hoop, marking only the second basket the Buckeyes made in 17 tries. 

For as bad as the half went offensively, I'm impressed by Ohio State's body language. They aren't hanging their heads or complaining to each other, and I think that's a big reason why they were able to get into a much better rhythm as the half wore on.

It took awhile, but once things got rolling offensively, they got moving in a hurry. After a 1-for-16 start from the floor, Ohio State hit 10 of its next 12 shots to close the half.

C.J. Walker made a brilliant play defensively, stealing a ball away from Ayo Dosunmu with 4:37 to play in the half. Walker then took the ball and raced up the floor to score an acrobatic bucket at the rim.

Dosunmu finished the first half with seven points and seven rebounds. He's a really special player and creates his own shot perhaps better than any player in the country.

Sueing hit a 3-ball with 1:34 to go to cut the deficit to just 37-30. It was the first triple try to go down out of the 10 attempted. Then after Dosunmu missed a short runner, Washington hit a layup with 51.7 to play to make it a 5-point game. Washington added 3-ball late too to make it a 5-point game at the half.

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