Ohio State will seek its fourth straight win when it faces struggling No. 18 Illinois on Sunday afternoon in Champaign, Ill.
The Buckeyes (13-8, 5-5 Big Ten) have turned around their season with strong defense and the guard play of John Mobley Jr. and Bruce Thornton.
It’s been a good stretch for Ohio State.
After upsetting then-No. 11 Purdue on Jan. 21, the Buckeyes posted consecutive routs of Iowa (82-65 score) on Monday and at Penn State (83-64) on Thursday.
“That’s two games in a row that defensively we have been dialed in and really done a good job, and I think two games in a row we’ve rebounded really well now,” Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said.
“You’ve got to know that every single game you can’t sit and be too happy on your performance. We’ll celebrate this one, and then we’ve got to turn the page quickly. I’m proud of our guys for battling. That’s now two straight road games. We’ve got another tough one here coming up.”
Illinois (14-7, 6-5) has not been able to overcome the absence of center Tomislav Ivisic, who has missed the past three games due to mononucleosis.
That was never more evident than during an 80-74 overtime loss Thursday to a Nebraska team that had lost six straight.
Illini coach Brad Underwood criticized his players’ shot selection.
“Stunk. It’s terrible,” he said. “But that’s part of the problem, not having Tomi, and that’s one of the things that we’ve got to get figured out, because I have no idea when we get him back.”
Ivisic has averaged 13 points and 8.5 rebounds in 18 games this season.
“It’s big, for sure,” sophomore guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn said of not having Ivisic. “Tomi is a great player. He’s one of our starting guys, one of our best players for sure. That’s not an excuse. We have to have the next-man-up mentality.”
Underwood hinted on his post-game radio show Thursday that changes may be in the offing against Ohio State.
“I’ve got to do something with the starting lineup,” he said. “… We don’t know when we’re getting Tomi back, so we’ve got to figure it out in the meantime.”
In contrast, Diebler said he likes the combo of Mobley — a freshman — and Thornton, a junior.
Mobley had 19 points and eight assists against Penn State in embracing an expanded role with guard Meechie Johnson missing the past 11 games to tend to personal matters.
“It feels good,” Mobley said. “My whole life growing up, everybody labeled me as just a shooter, but it feels good to showcase my all-around game. Defense, offense, getting people involved, getting to the basket, also shooting.”
His play has drawn attention of the defenses, making Thornton more dangerous.
Thornton had 17 points vs. the Nittany Lions and is 11 for 18 from 3-point range during Ohio State’s winning streak.
“It was great because we were able to get Bruce open looks from three because we were able to move them around some, and I think that’s really important for us,” Diebler said. “We’ve got to continue to be versatile on the perimeter.”
–Field Level Media
