No. 22 Ohio State faces No. 15 Illinois in a crucial Big Ten matchup at 9 p.m. ET Thursday. Both teams enter on one-game winning streaks, with Ohio State coming off an 80-69 overtime victory against Indiana and Illinois defeating Michigan State 79-74.

Current Big Ten Standings:

• Purdue (13-4)
• Wisconsin (12-4)
• Illinois (12-4)
• Ohio State (10-5)
• Rutgers (10-6)
• Michigan State (9-6)

Key Team Stats:

Ohio State:

• Ranked 19th in overall shooting percentage
• 27th in three-point percentage
• 29th in opponent two-point defense
• Led by NBA prospect EJ Liddell

Illinois:

• 13th in rebounds (39.7 per game)
• 26th in three-pointers made (9.2 per game)
• 18th in opponent effective field goal percentage (45.3%)
• Kofi Cockburn averaging 21.7 points, 11.2 rebounds on 60.8% shooting

Betting Outlook: Illinois opens as 4-5 point favorites at home. Despite the spread, Ohio State has potential for an upset win given their efficient offense and recent momentum.

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