In what I would call a must-win game, the Illinois basketball team came through and took down the Ohio State Buckeyes.
At the 12:42 mark in the first half, the Illini took the lead on an RJ Melendez layup and never looked back. That gave us a 10-9 lead, and we would never let that lead slip away.
Ohio State would get the game as close as a two-point deficit after that point, but a strong final six minutes enabled Illinois to extend the lead to eight points at halftime. The Buckeyes would get punched in the mouth again to start the second half, and the Illini would cruise to a solid 69-60 win.
Here are five observations from the Illinois basketball win over Ohio State.
1. Illinois did a great job shutting down Brice Sensabaugh
Ohio State entered the game on Tuesday night with one of the best freshmen in the college game. Brice Sensabaugh has been electric this season, and he was the biggest worry I had for the Illini.
Entering the Illinois game, Sensabaugh had been averaging 20.6 points and 7.7 rebounds in his last 10 outings. Those are some big numbers to put up from an experienced player, let alone a true freshman.
On Tuesday night, the Illini didn’t just shut down Ohio State, but we made Sensabaugh look like a freshman once again.
Despite putting up 14 points, Sensabaugh struggled all night long. He was just 5-of-13 from the field, which is 38.5%, and he failed to convert on either of his two three-point attempts.
Sensabaugh’s 14 points, four rebounds, and five made buckets were his lowest totals over the past 11 games. He came back down to Earth hard when the Buckeyes ran into a motivated Illinois defense.