Buckeyes Squeak Past No. 15 Illinois In Classic Big Ten Slugfest

Malaki Branham continues to make a case for Big Ten Freshman of the Year with another huge performance.

Author:
Brendan Gulick
Feb 24, 2022 11:35 PM EST

A rematch of last year's Big Ten championship game certainly lived up to the billing.

Illinois has one of the best teams in college basketball and the crowd in Champaign made for one of the most challenging environments in the league on Thursday night.

The reigning Big Ten champions absolutely have the caliber team to repeat this year. Led by national player of the year candidate Kofi Cockburn, there aren't many teams anywhere in the country that give opponents are tougher go inside the paint.

That's what made Thursday's 86-83 Ohio State win all that much more impressive.

The Buckeyes leaned into that tough-guy mentality and never shied away from the physicality this game brought. Cockburn had a hard time staying on the floor in the second half before fouling out with 4:33 to play.

Head coach Brad Underwood was ejected a few minutes earlier when he picked up his second technical foul. The often emotionally charged Underwood was as irate as he's ever been as he and the jam-packed crowd at the State Farm Center berated officials throughout the night.

It was an awfully hostile environment for an Ohio State team that showed incredible poise and picked up arguably its second most impressive win of the season. It also kept the Buckeyes in the race for a Big Ten regular season title.

OSU trailed by only one at halftime, cutting into what was once a 13-point deficit.

The Buckeyes got off to a fast start in the second half, but Illinois wouldn't go away quietly though. They trailed 74-58 when Branham made a layup with 5:58 to play. By the 1:49 mark, Illinois trailed just 78-76.

In fact, the Orange and Blue scored on 10 straight trips down the floor to stay in the game. They scored 25 points in the last 5:37 to make the Scarlet and Gray sweat it out.

Freshman star Malaki Branham lit up the Illini in the second half. He scored 31 points and finished the second half perfect from both the field and the free throw line. It's the second 30-point performance of his career and his sixth 20-point performance (including his third in as many games).

E.J. Liddell and Kyle Young both had fantastic games as well, scoring a combined 39. No other Buckeye had more than six points. Liddell played especially well, considering he's been battling the stomach flu in recent days.

For as tough as Cockburn is to guard, Alfonso Plummer was a constant problem. He made a ridiculous 8-of-10 3-pointers and finished the night with 26 points, which was hardly a surprise considering he's the league's top threat from beyond the arc this year.

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