Skip to main content

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Welcome one more time this week to the State Farm Center where No. 8 Illinois (2-0) will host Ohio (2-0) after the Illini easily dispatched North Carolina A&T 121-60 on Wednesday and defeated Chicago State 97-38 on Thanksgiving

Ohio defeated Chicago State 84-61 Wednesday and then had a brilliant second half to beat North Carolina A&T 84-72 on Thanksgiving.

I'm LOOKING LIVE...at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill., as we're about an hour from the opening tip.

NOTE: Please join us as we live-blog and discuss the Illini game here in our weekly Illini Gameday Open Thread. Dive into the conversation — it's easy — by simply going to the top right of the redesigned site and click the follow button.

You can log in with Facebook or Google and either way, it's free. That's right...IT'S FREE. From there, sound off in the comment section and share your reactions and observations with our staff and fellow members of the Illini Now/Sports Illustrated community as we keep you up to date of the game in real-time.

------------------

Game 3: Ohio at Illinois

Date/Time/Place: Friday, Nov. 27, 2020: Noon CST, State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.

Capacity: N/A (NO FANS!)

Records: Ohio 2-0; 17-15, 8-10 in the Mid-American Conference in 2019-20 season. Illinois 2-0; 21–10, 13–7 in Big Ten Conference in 2019-20 season.

Line: Illinois by 16.5

Series notes: Illinois has won all four of the all-time matchups against Ohio but the last game between the two programs was the day after Christmas in 1980 when the Illini won 84-54 in Assembly Hall in Champaign.

TV: BTN; Kevin Kugler (PBP), Stephen Bardo (analyst)

Radio (Illinois): Brian Barnhart (PBP), Deon Thomas (analyst).

---------------------

Here is the Top 25 & Big Ten' lineup of games for today:

Auburn (1-0) vs. No. 1 Gonzaga (1-0) in Fort Myers, Fla. - CURRENTLY PLAYING ON FOX

Western Kentucky (2-0) vs. No. 15 West Virginia (2-0) in Sioux Falls, SD - 12:30 p.m. CST, ESPN

Saint Joseph (0-1) vs. No. 6 Kansas (0-1) in Fort Myers, Fla. - 1 p.m. CST, FS1

Sam Houston State (0-1) at No. 14 Texas Tech (1-0) - 1 p.m. CST, ESPNU

Boise State (0-0) at No. 17 Houston (1-0) - 2 p.m. CST, ESPN+

Navy (1-0) at Maryland (1-0) - 2 p.m. CST, BTN

Pepperdine (1-0) vs. No. 22 UCLA (0-1) - 2 p.m. CST, Pac 12 Network

Southern (0-1) at No. 5 Iowa (1-0) - 4 p.m. CST, BTN

Fairleigh Dickinson (0-1) at No. 24 Rutgers (1-0) - 6 p.m. CST, BTN

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-1) at No. 7 Wisconsin (1-0) - 8 p.m. CST, BTN

-----------------------

Uniform Update - 11:40 a.m. - Illinois will be in the all white uniforms today (no throwback) and Ohio will be in all green. 

----------------------

11:55 a.m. UPDATE - Same five starters for Illinois: Ayo Dosunmu, Trent Frazier, Adam Miller, Da'Monte Williams and Kofi Cockburn.

---------------------

MEDIA TIMEOUT - 15:42 left in 1st: No. 8 Illinois 7, Ohio 7 - Dosunmu with four quick points but Illini having difficulty handling Ohio point guard Jason Preston (5 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound). Outside looks are not falling early for the Illini. 

-----------------------

MEDIA TIMEOUT - 11:44 left in 1st: Ohio 15, No. 8 Illinois 13 - Four early turnovers and an inability to handle Preston is currently holding Illini back early in this game. Ayo Dosunmu keeping Illinois well within striking distance to make a run. 

-----------------------

MEDIA TIMEOUT - 7:51 left in 1st: No. 8 Illinois 21, Ohio 21 - Illinois already going into its bench with Da'Monte Williams getting his second foul. Offensive possessions look clunky and with no consistent ball movement. Dosunmu needs some help locking down Ohio point guard Jason Preston (12 points, 2 assists). 

--------------------------

OHIO TIMEOUT - 5:49 left in 1st: No. 8 Illinois 27, Ohio 21 - Dosunmu has done a much better job in this 2-minute stretch on Preston, which has led to one-shot possessions for Ohio. Illinois currently on a 7-0 run. 

------------------------

MEDIA TIMEOUT - 3:36 left in 1st: No. 8 Illinois 30, Ohio 25 - Brad Underwood with his first send-a-message substitution of the season as he puts in walk-on Zach Griffith for Coleman Hawkins. Dosunmu is 6 of 9 from the field with 13 points. Ohio has eight points off Illinois turnovers. 

--------------

ILLINI TIMEOUT - 2:50 left in 1st: Ohio 31, No. 8 Illinois 30 - Quick 6-0 run for Ohio on some more Illini turnovers and Underwood wants to chat. He doesn't yell but yet gives his team that 'so, who thought this one would be easy?' look. 

-----------------------

HALFTIME: No. 8 Illinois 35, Ohio 34 - Ayo Dosunmu needs some help today. Dosunmu has 16 points and five rebounds while trying to keep Ohio point guard Jason Preston (20 points) as well. Five different Illinois players have a turnover. 

Screen Shot 2020-11-27 at 12.54.20 PM

-------------------------

MEDIA TIMEOUT - 15:52 left: Ohio 41, No. 8 Illinois 39 - Brad Underwood first screams at his team "make free throws!" as Illini are 5 of 12 from the foul line today. Jason Preston has 22 points, five rebounds and three assists. 

-----------------------

ILLINI TIMEOUT - 13:43 left: Ohio 49, No. 8 Illinois 41 - A 6-0 run by Ohio over 67 seconds and Underwood can't take it much longer. Illini have 12 turnovers and are 2 of 10 from 3-point range today. The halfcourt execution for Illinois has been borderline awful. 

------------------------

MEDIA TIMEOUT - 11:51 left: Ohio 49, No. 8 Illinois 46 - Adam Miller's ability to just put the basketball in the hoop is going to be a lifeboat for the Illini in big games this year. Miller with the chance for an and-one. Da'Monte Williams' defense has been key over these last few possessions. 

-------------------------

OHIO TIMEOUT - 9:38 left: No. 8 Illinois 53, Ohio 53 - Dosunmu on triple-double watch again with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists. We're also on double-double watch for Da'Monte Williams. 

-----------

MEDIA TIMEOUT - 7:57 left: No. 8 Illinois 58, Ohio 53 - Illinois goes to the Giorgi-Kofi frontcourt and suddenly the Illini are on a 9-0 run off defensive stops and Kofi dunks. Illini with 32 points in the paint.

-----------------

ILLINI TIMEOUT - 5:14 left: No. 8 Illinois 63, Ohio 61 - Ayo Dosunmu with an untimely turnover and quick shot to allow Ohio back within a possession. Preston with 28 points for Ohio. 

-----------------

ILLINI TIMEOUT - 2:38 left: No. 8 Illinois 67, Ohio 67 - Underwood tries to buy time with Kofi on the bench and Ohio simply feeds the post every single time. Ayo Dosunmu in clutch mode.

-----------------

ILLINI TIMEOUT - 34.5 left: No. 8 Illinois 74, Ohio 73 - Clutch 3-point shots by Dosunmu and Da'Monte Williams gives the Illini the lead.