Defense carries Illinois to 74-55 win over Ohio State (The SportsXchange)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois played like a desperate team. Ohio State performed like a team that hadn’t been on the road since November. Forcing turnover after turnover from the normally sure-handed Buckeyes, the 11th-ranked Fighting Illini led wire-to-wire Saturday, notching a 74-55 Big Ten Conference rout at Assembly Hall. Coming off a 68-61 upset loss Wednesday night at Purdue, Illinois (14-2, 1-1) dictated with defense and its ability to get to the rim whenever it wanted to against a normally stingy opponent. Brandon Paul paced the Illini with 19 points, while center Nnanna Egwu chipped in 16 points, far above his per-game average. Tracy Abrams added 13 points, six rebounds and five assists in a solid all-around performance and Joseph Bertrand came off the bench to score 12 points. “I thought our toughness and togetherness was exceptional,” Illinois coach John Groce said. “I knew we were going to learn a lot about our guys after we lost Wednesday night. The way we practiced the last two days was really good. “Practices were physically…
Video: Buckeyes lose at Illinois
Brandon Paul scored 19 points to lead No. 11 Illinois to a 74-55 win against No. 8 Ohio State.
Illinois 74, Ohio State 55 (The SportsXchange)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois played like a desperate team. Ohio State performed like a team that hadn’t been on the road since November. Forcing turnover after turnover from the normally sure-handed Buckeyes, the 11th-ranked Fighting Illini led wire-to-wire Saturday, notching a 74-55 Big Ten Conference rout at Assembly Hall. Coming off a 68-61 upset loss Wednesday night at Purdue, Illinois (14-2, 1-1) dictated with defense and its ability to get to the rim whenever it wanted to against a normally stingy opponent. Brandon Paul paced the Illini with 19 points, while center Nnanna Egwu chipped in 16 points, nearly 10 above his per-game average. Tracy Abrams added 13 points, six rebounds and five assists in a solid all-around performance and Joseph Bertrand came off the bench to score 12 points. Deshaun Thomas fired in a game-high 24 points for No. 8 Ohio State (11-3, 1-1…
Ohio State Basketball: 5 Keys to Beating Illinois
Ohio State basketball will take on Illinois in what is shaping up to be a truly exciting game in the Big Ten. This is, for all intents and purposes, Ohio State’s first chance…
LIVE! from Illinois at Ohio State
HQ Live Report – Illinois (16-11, 5-9 Big Ten) at Ohio State (22-5, 10-4) – Tipoff (6 Central, ESPN) -Brandon Paul got a kick out of the Ohio State's students dressed as Star Wars characters. read more
Whose fault was it?
I spent the afternoon watching, and replaying, and slow-motioning, the DVR of the Buckeyes’ defense at Illinois. There’s been a lot of ranting from fans about who was to blame for Brandon Paul…
Buckeyes beaten again on road
Ohio State’s top-rated defense was no match for Brandon Paul or Illinois last night. Continue reading at Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog
No. 5 Ohio State basketball falls to Illinois on the road
OSU sophomore forward Jared Sullinger fights for the ball in a basketball game against Nebraska Jan. 3, 2012. OSU won, 71-40. The Ohio State men's basketball team continued its struggle in road tests, falling to Illinois 79-74 thanks to a 43-point outburst from junior Illini guard Brandon Paul.
