Illinois vs Ohio State Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for February 26 (Buckeyes Fail to End Lengthy Losing Streak)

Illinois vs Ohio State Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Regular Season Game
• Illinois (19-9, 10-7 Big Ten) vs. Ohio State (11-17, 3-14 Big Ten)
• Date: Sunday, February 26, 2023
• Time: 12:00 PM ET
• Venue: Value City Arena -- Columbus, Ohio
• Coverage: CBS

The 2022-23 college basketball season continues on Sunday with an exciting matchup between the Illinois Fighting Illini and Ohio State Buckeyes. Illinois is coming off a 66-62 win over Northwestern in which it came back from an 18-point halftime deficit. Terrence Shannon Jr. shined with 26 points.

Meanwhile, Ohio State fell short in a 75-71 loss to Penn State on Thursday. The Buckeyes defense fell apart down the stretch as it allows the Nittany Lions to shoot over 50.0% both from the floor and from three-point range. Can head coach Chris Holtmann's team avoid a 10th straight loss on Sunday?

Illinois vs Ohio State Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: ILL: (-205) | OHIOST: (+168)
• Spread: ILL: -4.5 (-115) | OHIOST: +4.5 (-105)
• Total: 145.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Illinois enters this contest as a small road favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 12 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 145.5 points, which is above average compared to Sunday's projected totals.

Illinois vs Ohio State Betting Trends

• Illinois has beaten the spread 17 times in 28 games.
• The Fighting Illini have an ATS record of 12-10 as 2.5-point favorites or more.
• This season, 12 of Illinois' 28 games have hit the over.
• Ohio State's record against the spread is 8-20-0.
• The Buckeyes don't have a win ATS (0-9) as a 2.5-point underdog or greater this season.
• Ohio State has seen 15 of its 28 games go over the point total.

Illinois Rank	Illinois AVG		Ohio State AVG	Ohio State Rank
110th	74.7	Points Scored	73	152nd
56th	65.3	Points Allowed	69.4	163rd
17th	36	Rebounds	33.8	66th
43rd	10.2	Off. Rebounds	9.9	68th
120th	7.9	3pt Made	6.7	256th
218th	12.6	Assists	11.5	310th
261st	12.8	Turnovers	10.5	41st

Illinois vs Ohio State Prediction & Pick

Talk about two teams heading in opposite directions. Illinois has won 10 of its last 14 games and has built an NCAA Tournament resume, while Ohio State has lost nine straight games and will have their dream of reaching March Madness crushed. The Fighting Illini have all of the momentum right now.

Ohio State hasn't even performed well in front of its own fans. The Buckeyes have posted an 8-6 record at Value City Arena and own a -9.0 average scoring margin in their last four home games. On the other side, Illinois is averaging a reliable 72.1 points per away game (44.7% shooting percentage).

Look for Ohio State's losing streak to grow to a whopping 10 games with another conference loss.

Final Score Prediction: Illinois: 77 | Ohio State: 67

Illinois vs Ohio State Best Bet

There's no choice but to fade the Buckeyes here. Not only has Ohio State lost nine straight games, but it is a dismal 0-9 against the spread (ATS) during that span. It is 1-6 ATS in its last seven home games as well. The Buckeyes continue to find themselves in too big of a hole to climb out of late.

It's worth mentioning that Ohio State will be without their best post player in Zed Key on Sunday as he tends to a shoulder injury. Key is averaging 10.8 and 7.5 rebounds on the season. That is a brutal blow considering Illinois rosters three players above a height of 6-foot-8 that can dominate down low.

Bet: Illinois Fighting Illini -4.5 (-115)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.