The No. 10 seed Ohio State Buckeyes (20-12) will try to extend their surprising five-game winning streak when they face the No. 2 seed Illinois Fighting Illini (23-8) in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday night. Ohio State has gone 6-1 since firing head coach Chris Holtmann in February, including a 90-78 win over No. 7 seed Iowa on Thursday. Illinois won four of its final five games of the regular season, wrapping up its campaign with a 73-61 win over Iowa. The Fighting Illini picked up an 87-75 road win at Ohio State when these teams met at the end of January.
Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Illinois is favored by 4.5 points in the latest Illinois vs. Ohio State odds, while the over/under is 153.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Ohio State vs. Illinois picks, you'll want to see the NCAA Basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters 2024 conference championship week on a 145-104 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 28-18 (+820) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Ohio State-Illinois. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines for the game:
- Illinois vs. Ohio State spread: Illinois -4.5
- Illinois vs. Ohio State over/under: 153.5 points
- Illinois vs. Ohio State money line: Illinois -202, Ohio State +167
- Illinois vs. Ohio State picks: See picks here
Why Illinois can cover
Illinois has already picked up one win over Ohio State this season, cruising to an 87-75 win in Columbus on Jan. 30. All-Big Ten guards Terrence Shannon Jr. and Marcus Domask each scored 23 points in that game, while sophomore guard Ty Rodgers posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Shannon scored 25 points on 10 of 19 shooting in Illinois' win at Iowa on Sunday.
He leads the team with 21.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, but three of his teammates are also scoring in double figures to give Illinois a balanced attack. The Fighting Illini earned a double bye for the opening rounds of the tournament, while Ohio State had to play on Thursday night. Illinois is 16-4 in its last 20 games as a favorite.
Why Ohio State can cover
Ohio State has been one of the biggest stories in college basketball over the past month, winning six of its last seven games since Jake Diebler took over as the interim coach and now getting in the NCAA Tournament bubble conversation. The Buckeyes were 8-point underdogs in a win over then-No. 2 Purdue and they were 10.5-point underdogs in a win at Michigan State, so they are comfortable playing in this role. They never trailed in a 90-78 win over No. 7 seed Iowa on Thursday.
Senior forward Jamison Battle had 23 points and nine rebounds, knocking down all nine of his attempts from the free-throw line. Battle is one of three players on the roster averaging more than 13 points per game, including leading scorer Bruce Thornton (16.1 ppg). The Buckeyes have covered the spread in five straight games, and they are 8-1 against the spread in their last nine games in March. See which team to pick here.
How to make Illinois vs. Ohio State picks
The model has simulated Ohio State vs. Illinois 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Illinois vs. Ohio State, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 145-104 roll on its top-ranked college basketball picks, and find out.
