Things have clearly gone the wrong way for the Ohio State basketball team … again. The road woes are well-chronicled, but now the Buckeyes can’t even get a victory at home, losing to the Illinois Fighting Illini by a score of 87-75 on Tuesday night.
The game was close throughout most of the first half, but once the Illini separated on a run to close the first twenty minutes, they never looked back. Defensively, it’s going to hard to win Big Ten ballgames without playing at a high level, and allowing almost 90 points doesn’t qualify for the level necessary.
The Buckeyes didn’t get blown away by anything Illinois did stat-wise, but the culmination of losing the rebounding battle, shooting percentage, and free throw percentage all combined to hand another L on the record, one that is quickly headed towards .500 overall.
Ohio State had three players in double figures with Jamison Battle leading the way with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Roddy Gayle Jr. poured in 20 points, while Evan Mahaffey scored 13.
Final from Columbus.
OSU: 75
ILL: 87Buckeyes are back on the road Friday night to take on the Hawkeyes. pic.twitter.com/11HHoDDgUe
— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) January 31, 2024
With the loss, Ohio State’s overall record drops to 13-8 and its Big Ten record falls to 3-7. The road doesn’t get any easier from here on out with a trip to Iowa on tap for Friday. Yes, in a twist of fate, that’s Groundhog Day, which pretty much sums up where we are with this program right now.
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