Illinois vs Ohio State Odds, Pick: Big Ten Betting Guide

No. 14 Illinois vs. Ohio State tips off the Big Ten’s midweek basketball slate on Tuesday night at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The Buckeyes have struggled in the new calendar year so far, winning just two of their seven games to fall to 13-7 overall and 3-6 in conference play.

Meanwhile, the Fighting Illini have had some struggles away from home, but they still have only five losses on the season.

Betting against ranked teams on the road in league games has been a profitable strategy, which should make this a great matchup in Columbus.

Even with the issues away from Champaign, head coach Brad Underwood has built a strong team this year, which starts on the offensive end of the floor.

The Fighting Illini’s scoring average of 82.1 points per game marks the program’s highest since the 1993-94 season.  This is one of the main reasons Illinois entered last weekend in second in the Big Ten and 25th nationally with an average scoring margin of +13.7 points per game.

There are multiple scoring threats on the team, but the leader of the group is Terrence Shannon Jr. The former Texas Tech transfer sits third in the conference, averaging 19.9 PPG.

Another area of strength for Underwood’s squad is rebounding the basketball. The Illini average 43.3 rebounds per game, which is the most since Illinois' 1972-73 team.

After going 10-2 in the nonconference slate, things have not gone well in Big Ten play for head coach Chris Holtmann and his Ohio State team.

However, the Buckeyes have still been good at home. On the year, they're 9-2 in Columbus, with the only losses coming to Texas A&M and Wisconsin — two teams that were ranked when the games were played.

One number to keep in mind for Ohio State contests is 70. The Buckeyes are 12-1 this season when reaching the 70-point mark offensively. At the same time, they're 8-0 when holding opponents to fewer than 70 points and 5-7 when allowing more than that.

Holtmann’s offense runs through Bruce Thornton. The sophomore guard ranks in the top 10 in the conference in both scoring (16.1 PPG) and assists (4.4 APG).

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If you were comparing these teams off full-season metrics, I could understand a short spread in this spot. However, their numbers since the start of conference play tell a different story.

So, my best bet is to take Illinois at -3 at DraftKings, which I would play to -4. If you'd rather take the moneyline, I wouldn't lay more than -150.

Bart Torvik rates Ohio State as the 10th-best team in the Big Ten in league games. That's with a weak conference schedule so far, with five of the Buckeyes' nine contests coming against teams rated lower than them.

When OSU has stepped up in class against a squad rated higher, Holtmann’s team has gone 0-4 with an average scoring margin of -9.75.

Meanwhile, this is an Illinois squad that has lost close games on the road at Tennessee and Northwestern and blown out Michigan and Rutgers away from home. The Fighting Illini also fell by just five points at then-No. 1 Purdue without Shannon.

I know backing ranked teams on the road hasn’t been a profitable bet, especially in the Big Ten over the years. However, this is a big mismatch in terms of talent.

Pick: Illinois -3 (Play to -4)