COLUMBUS, Ohio — It would be a simple explanation to say that Illinois got sucked into the incredible pull of football hysteria that has gripped the Ohio State campus like a gravitational phenomenon. At the first media timeout Saturday, Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer and his team basked in a cascade of adulation, well-earned after upending Alabama Tuesday in the Sugar Bowl. It was a rather lengthy tribute and technically, yes, it disrupted the game. But anyone who was there, most of all Illini basketball coach John Groce, will tell you Illinois’ second-half collapse against the Buckeyes had nothing to do with the football tribute. Defensive breakdowns, turnovers and a sense that Illinois failed to mount even the slightest response to a 15-0 run paved the way to No. 20 Ohio State’s 77-61 victory at Value City Arena. “This one is pretty simple,” Groce said. “Twenty turnovers and we gave up 60 percent from the field in both halves. We weren’t able to defend them from start to finish. “I thought in the second half it was the worst basketball we’ve played all season. I’m disappointed in that during their run they played with more energy than we did. We got our butts kicked.” Illinois (10-5, 0-2) played well early, moving the ball and hitting jump shots over the Ohio State zone. Illinois led by as many as eight points and took a 37-36 lead to the locker room thanks largely to 8-of-15 shooting from 3-point range. But Ohio State switched to a man-to-man defense in the second half and made its move about five minutes into the period…
Continue Reading: Ohio State punts Illini on basketball court
