First Half Notebook: Ohio State vs. Illinois

Here are my first half thoughts as the Buckeyes and Illini battle in a huge Big Ten showdown.

Halftime Score: Ohio State 43, Illinois 28

The Buckeyes got off to a nice start on the road in the opening couple minutes, but two things jump out right away: Kofi Cockburn is an absolute monster and E.J. Liddell looked to me like he was forcing it a little bit after making two early buckets. For as tall as Cockburn is (he's a legitimate 7-footer), it might be his girth that stands out more. He's as thick and strong as it gets. Liddell buried his first two shots, including a 3-pointer, but each of his next three shots looked a bit awkward.

That said, give him credit for settling down nicely and hitting his next three shots (including 2 more 3-balls, giving him three on the game after hitting three in the first 13 games of the year).

I love the energy on the defensive end of the floor from the Buckeyes. Every shot is contested. Even though the Illini have hit 7-of-11 to start the game, they've had to work hard for those points.

Seth Towns looks terrific. His jump shot is so pure. As he continues to work back to full health, Chris Holtmann's patience is paying off.

This is easily Meechie Johnson's biggest spot so far as a college player. Johnson's confidence has become a talking point the last couple weeks as he's started to get his feet under him in the toughest league in the country. On Johnson's second offensive possession, I loved the way he drove into contact down the right side of the key. The Buckeyes could really use him without C.J. Walker and Jimmy Sotos available today.

Zed Key and Musa Jallow are giving the Buckeyes great minutes and production off the bench with Kyle Young sitting with two fouls. Key is boxing out quite well and had a gorgeous little hook shot over Cockburn.

Ohio State is absolutely ripping the nets from deep today. The Buckeyes have hit 7-of-11 to start the day. They also should get a ton of credit for rebounding the ball the way they have, dominating the much bigger Illini on the glass 20-11 so far today.

Ayo Dosunmu hasn't really played much of a role in this game so far. He's so explosive and can change the game in the blink of an eye - I have a hard time believing he' won't make an impact before the game is over.

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