Ranked teams meet as No. 19 Ohio State hosts No. 23 Illinois

No. 23 Illinois (20-9, 12-6) vs. No. 19 Ohio State (20-9, 10-8)

Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Two ranked teams battle as No. 23 Illinois visits No. 19 Ohio State in a late season showdown. Illinois has two wins and four losses against ranked opponents this season, while Ohio State has won five of its eight games against ranked teams.

STEPPING UP: Kaleb Wesson has averaged 14 points and 9.6 rebounds to lead the way for the Buckeyes. CJ Walker is also a key contributor, accounting for 8.3 points per game. The Fighting Illini are led by Ayo Dosunmu, who is averaging 15.9 points and 4.1 rebounds.ACCURATE AYO: Dosunmu has connected on 30 percent of the 90 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 2 of 7 over his last three games. He’s also converted 76.8 percent of his foul shots this season.

SLIPPING AT 72: Illinois is 0-6 when it allows at least 72 points and 20-3 when it holds opponents to less than 72.

WINNING WHEN: Ohio State is a perfect 11-0 when it turns the ball over 11 times or fewer. The Buckeyes are 9-9 when they record more than 11 turnovers. Illinois has forced 9.3 turnovers per game in Big Ten play and 9.3 per game over its last three.

DID YOU KNOW: Illinois is ranked first among Division I teams with an offensive rebound percentage of 36.1 percent. The Fighting Illini have averaged 12.8 offensive boards per game.

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This was generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com