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Illinois
Illinois Basketball Bounces Back With Pivotal Win Over Ohio State
If No. 18 Illinois was going to start turning its season back around, it was almost certainly going to need a hand from its freshmen.
But with streaking Ohio State in Champaign on Sunday, Will Riley and Morez Johnson Jr. didn’t just offer a hand – they threw the Illini on their backs and galloped to what may be remembered as a pivotal 87-79 win over the Buckeyes.
Riley exploded for 20 of his 24 points in the second half, Johnson had 14 points and 15 rebounds for his third double-double of the season, and they combined to key a 40-18 run that spun around an 11-point deficit and sent the Buckeyes packing.
The Illini (15-7, 7-5 Big Ten) celebrated the healthy return of center Tomislav Ivisic (mono) by outrebounding Ohio State 43-31 and hammering the Buckeyes (13-9, 5-6) inside – especially in the second half. Illinois outscored the visitors 52-30 in the paint.
Illinois’ increasingly painful three-point-shooting struggles continued Sunday (4-for-20, 20 percent), but the Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight got wise and found a much easier target when shooting from point-blank range. Johnson’s beast-mode performance – including seven offensive rebounds and several putback dunks – and Ivisic’s efficiency inside (4-for-6 shooting inside the arc) helped keep the Illini afloat when it appeared for all the world that they were going under.
A stronger defensive effort in the second half – Ohio State was held to 30.6 percent shooting after the break – was another difference-maker, as Kasparas Jakucionis, Kylan Boswell, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and others did an excellent job of contesting shots. Roughly midway through the half, with the Illini still trailing by two, Buckeyes guard John Mobley Jr. curled around a pick to find daylight – until the 6-foot-6 Jakucionis came soaring in to snuff it.
But the day belonged to Riley. His three-pointer and three-point play on back-to-back possessions tied the game at 59 with 10:48, and his 6-for-6 shooting from the free-throw line over the final 2:11 helped prevent any late-game OSU heroics.
Boswell chipped in 14 points and Ivisic matched Johnson’s double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds) for the Illini, who ended the Buckeyes’ three-game win streak and gained some footing with a rocky remaining Big Ten schedule still ahead.
OSU’s Royal led the game with 29 points.
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Illinois
Illinois State pays homage to Redbird legend with an MVC victory
(25News Now) – Illinois State was able to cap off a memorable night for an all-time Redbirds legend with a win to get back to .500 in MVC play.
They took down Valparaiso 86-78 off the back of Chase Walker’s 24 points, as the Redbirds honored recent Naismith Hall of Fame inductee Doug Collins at halftime. The Redbirds also recently renamed their court after the great.
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Illinois
Deadspin | Ohio State hopes to stay 'dialed in' vs. No. 18 Illinois
Ohio State will seek its fourth straight win when it faces struggling No. 18 Illinois on Sunday afternoon in Champaign, Ill.
The Buckeyes (13-8, 5-5 Big Ten) have turned around their season with strong defense and the guard play of John Mobley Jr. and Bruce Thornton.
It’s been a good stretch for Ohio State.
After upsetting then-No. 11 Purdue on Jan. 21, the Buckeyes posted consecutive routs of Iowa (82-65 score) on Monday and at Penn State (83-64) on Thursday.
“That’s two games in a row that defensively we have been dialed in and really done a good job, and I think two games in a row we’ve rebounded really well now,” Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said.
“You’ve got to know that every single game you can’t sit and be too happy on your performance. We’ll celebrate this one, and then we’ve got to turn the page quickly. I’m proud of our guys for battling. That’s now two straight road games. We’ve got another tough one here coming up.”
Illinois (14-7, 6-5) has not been able to overcome the absence of center Tomislav Ivisic, who has missed the past three games due to mononucleosis.
That was never more evident than during an 80-74 overtime loss Thursday to a Nebraska team that had lost six straight.
Illini coach Brad Underwood criticized his players’ shot selection.
“Stunk. It’s terrible,” he said. “But that’s part of the problem, not having Tomi, and that’s one of the things that we’ve got to get figured out, because I have no idea when we get him back.”
Ivisic has averaged 13 points and 8.5 rebounds in 18 games this season.
“It’s big, for sure,” sophomore guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn said of not having Ivisic. “Tomi is a great player. He’s one of our starting guys, one of our best players for sure. That’s not an excuse. We have to have the next-man-up mentality.”
Underwood hinted on his post-game radio show Thursday that changes may be in the offing against Ohio State.
“I’ve got to do something with the starting lineup,” he said. “… We don’t know when we’re getting Tomi back, so we’ve got to figure it out in the meantime.”
In contrast, Diebler said he likes the combo of Mobley — a freshman — and Thornton, a junior.
Mobley had 19 points and eight assists against Penn State in embracing an expanded role with guard Meechie Johnson missing the past 11 games to tend to personal matters.
“It feels good,” Mobley said. “My whole life growing up, everybody labeled me as just a shooter, but it feels good to showcase my all-around game. Defense, offense, getting people involved, getting to the basket, also shooting.”
His play has drawn attention of the defenses, making Thornton more dangerous.
Thornton had 17 points vs. the Nittany Lions and is 11 for 18 from 3-point range during Ohio State’s winning streak.
“It was great because we were able to get Bruce open looks from three because we were able to move them around some, and I think that’s really important for us,” Diebler said. “We’ve got to continue to be versatile on the perimeter.”
–Field Level Media
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