Illinois Basketball: 4 keys for the Illini to take down Ohio State

2. Get Ohio State into foul trouble

One thing that annoys me about the college game is the number of fouls that are called. Refs tend to make games about themselves and it takes away from the product. But if the refs want to blow the whistle, then let’s take it to Ohio State.

The Buckeyes don’t have too many weaknesses in their game. They are pretty sound offensively and can play some great defense at times too. But I would say their biggest weakness is depth.

After about the sixth man, the Buckeyes start to get a little thin. Their bench can produce minutes, but the production from those minutes isn’t great. In addition to Ohio State not being terribly deep, they are likely going to be missing one of their starters.

Kyle Young was knocked out of the second half of the Purdue game in the Big Ten Tournament with a concussion. He didn’t suit up for the Michigan game and is likely out for the Illinois game. I want to start off by saying I hope Young is okay and can suit up for the NCAA tournament. But this injury also makes the Buckeyes even thinner.

What needs to happen to get Ohio State into foul trouble? Feed it to the big man, of course. Kofi Cockburn is a monster to handle, and if we can dump it down to him, he will most likely get points or get fouled. This needs to be a priority from the jump.

I also believe Illinois’ guards can put their heads down and get to the hoop. That will make the refs have a decision on whether or not to call a foul. Let’s take the game to Ohio State and get them in foul trouble early. This will force the Buckeyes to go to their shallow bench.