After their loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, the Illini have a quick turnaround, as the Buckeyes are coming into town for a Monday night showdown. Several games have been postponed due to COVID-19 outbreaks and weather, so conference matchups such as this will be coming thick and fast for the Illini. 

Illinois are currently riding a six-game losing streak and will look for an opportunity to snap this versus Ohio State. In the latest AP poll, the Buckeyes are ranked 18th in the nation, as they are one of five Big Ten teams ranked in the top 25.

Ohio State’s strong performances have them with an 18-4 (10-3 in the Big Ten) record this season. They are led by junior guard Jacy Sheldon, who was a 2020-21 second team All-B1G selection. Sheldon leads the team in scoring with 20 points per game, while senior guard Taylor Mikesell (19.5 ppg) and junior forward Rebeka Mikulasikova (10.3 ppg) both contribute to the offense. 

One of the biggest problems Ohio State will cause for Illinois is their stellar 3-point shooting. The Buckeyes shoot a nation-best 40.1% from deep, and they are the No. 4 scoring offense in the nation at 82 ppg. 

If Illinois wants any chance to come out victorious on Monday night, they’ll not only need to get stops, but head coach Nancy Fahey will need her best players to hit their shots. Sophomore guard Aaliyah Nye leads the team in scoring at 11.7 ppg, but she is coming off a stellar 23-point performance on Sunday versus Nebraska.

When Ohio State misses from downtown, it will be important for Illinois to crash the boards and get out in transition. Luckily, the Illini have the top rebounder in the Big Ten in sophomore forward Kendall Bostic who currently averages 11.5 boards per game.

All the recent postponements have hurt the Illini recently, and they have found it tough to get back in the win column against some of these tough conference foes. However, Fahey is proud of the team’s desire to get better and give some of these higher ranked teams a fight.

“I love this team and I love how hard these kids play,” Fahey said. “I come into the postgame locker room after every game, and they have a list of what they want to get better on before I even get into the room. I like that kind of leadership.”

Monday’s matchup will be the 76th meeting in the series between Ohio State and Illinois, with the Illini trailing the all-time series 20-55. They most recently met in Columbus earlier this year, where the Buckeyes came out victorious by a score of 90-69.

Today’s meeting is also the Annual Pink Game. Free pink beanies will be given to the first 100 fans in the arena, and raffle tickets will be sold which benefit the Mills Breast Cancer Institute. The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network with Mike Hall and Christy Winters Scott providing the play-by-play and analysis. Mike Koon will call the action live on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (1400 AM / 93.9 FM).

@WillPayne33

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