INDIANAPOLIS –– Thus far, Ohio State’s three-game Big Ten Tournament run could be characterized as nothing short of a revenge tour, as the Buckeyes have claimed wins over teams that they were 0-4 against in the regular season.
That narrative shifts as the fifth-seeded Buckeyes meet No. 2 seed Illinois in Sunday’s Big Ten championship game, a team that Ohio State already holds a win over this season. But now at stake is a rubber match in Game 3 against the Fighting Illini, and a chance for the Buckeyes to right the wrong of their regular season-ending four-game skid with a conference tournament title.
Ohio State’s losing streak, which concluded with a 73-68 loss to Illinois on March 6, dropped the Buckeyes out of consideration for most in discussions about the truly upper crust of the conference, but Ohio State has pulled itself up rung by rung in the tournament, one nail-biter after another to land a spot in the final game.
RELATED: Late errors not enough to topple OSU upset bid over UM in semifinal
Illinois’ path has been quite different, as the Fighting Illini entered Indianapolis as many pundits’ odds-on favorites to take home the trophy, given its string of 11 wins in 12 games to close out the regular season, including three-straight ranked wins and a 23-point demolition of Michigan.
That momentum, led by the stellar play of First Team All-Big Ten performers Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn, rolled right into the conference tournament this past week, with the pair combining for 41 points in an uncompetitive matchup with Rutgers on Friday.
Brad Underwood’s group faced a much stiffer challenge in the semifinals, drawing two-time reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Luka Garza and the Iowa Hawkeyes, but Saturday’s result was a double-digit Illinois win nonetheless.
The 82-71 victory featured what may have been the finest offensive outing of Cockburn’s two-year career, given the stakes and opponent, as the 7-foot, 285-pound center shot 11-of-17 to notch a career-second-best 26 points. Just four of those came from the free throw line.
Cockburn’s dominance can’t be a positive for the Buckeyes, who are ever-susceptible to big-time big men due to their lack of size, and are fresh off of giving up monster second half performances to both Purdue’s Trevion Willliams and Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson.
Buckeye head coach Chris Holtmann confirmed following the Buckeyes’ win over the Wolverines Saturday that senior forward Kyle Young will not be available Sunday due to a concussion suffered in Friday’s win against Purdue.
Also concerning for the Buckeyes may be the proficiency with which the Fighting Illini closed out Iowa in what was once a close game down the stretch, before Illinois finished on a 6-0 run with the Hawkeyes rendered unable to score for nearly three minutes to end it.
Ohio State has done the opposite in the past handful of games, with late-game collapses in all three tournament matchups and a similar cold spell to finish off its regular season season finale against Illinois in the last matchup.
If there’s one category in which Ohio State has been markedly outperforming the Fighting Illini, it is 3-point shooting. In the March 6 matchup, Illinois knocked down just four 3s, and subsequently shot 5-for-17 against Rutgers and 3-for-15 against Iowa.
For Ohio State, the 3-point shot has been a saving grace during the tournament, with the Buckeyes hitting 11 against Purdue and 12 against Michigan.
Junior guard Duane Washington is 9-for-21 from 3 in the past two games, and he’s averaging 22 points per game in those same contests.
RELATED: Washington provides more than scoring burst against home state foe
The Washington-Dosunmu and Cockburn-E.J. Liddell matchups are sure to headline, but the play of Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Andre Curbelo and Ohio State forward Justice Sueing could be crucial for each side, as both could be X-Factor performers as third options.
Ohio State is 5-4 in Big Ten championship games, including the vacated 2002 tournament title, and Illinois is 2-4, having last won the tournament in 2005.
Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, with all the Big Ten marbles on the table for one of these two programs.
