Kyle Young arrived at the free-throw line with 33 seconds left in the first half with a chance to finish off a comeback.
No. 15 Illinois saw a 13-point lead nearly evaporate, extending its lead again to seven with less than three minutes to go, one that the Fighting Illini watched vanish, giving the Ohio State redshirt senior forward a chance to tie at the line.
Young put up the first foul shot, watching it circle the rim before falling out, his first miss of the half after making each of his five attempts from the floor.
It just wasn’t meant to be in the first half.
E.J. Liddell made the Buckeyes forget that rimmed-out free throw in the first 19 seconds of the second half. Hitting a jumper and launching an unmatched and unprecedented offensive attack that left the sold-out State Farm Center in shock.
Ohio State was dominant. But it was a dominance that wore off.
Holding onto a 16-point lead with six minutes to go, the Fighting Illini began to make its move, using an 8-2 run to cut its deficit to 10 before Ohio State’s offense was nowhere to be found, using a 10-0 run to cut its deficit to two.
With 14 seconds left, Illinois guard Trent Frazier drilled a 3, cutting Ohio State’s lead down to one.
But for a team that’s had trouble finishing in the past, Ohio State was able to hold on for dear life, securing a win in a game it was supposed to lose after a throwaway pass by Frazier in the paint, stunning Illinois on the road, 85-83, Thursday night.
Malaki Branham led Ohio State with 31 points, his second 30-point performance of the season, making 10-of-14 attempts from the floor.
Here's a few takeaways from Thursday night's game.
