Ohio State loses thriller to Illinois in Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals

MINNEAPOLIS — Ohio State fought tooth and nail on the glass against Illinois Friday night in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. When it mattered most, however, the Buckeyes couldn’t get the rebound they needed.

Trailing by one point with under a minute to go, Illinois pulled down not one but two offensive boards, the first leading to a tie-up and the second leading to two Terrence Shannon Jr. free throws.

Jamison Battle’s potential game-tying 3-pointer and subsequent half court prayer didn’t fall — the Buckeyes’ NCAA Tournament dreams likely did, on the other side of the bubble.

2-seed Illinois (24-8, 14-6 Big Ten) advanced to the tournament semifinals with a 77-74 win, while 10-seed Ohio State (20-13, 9-11) heads back to Columbus to learn its postseason fate.

Ohio State gets off to good start offensively, then hits wall against physical Illinois

The Buckeyes kicked off Friday’s game like they did Thursday, firing on all cylinders offensively. They made 5-of-6 shots from the field, including a spin and pop mid-range jumper from Battle and an early Bruce Thornton 3-pointer, staking themselves to a 13-8 lead. But Illinois’ first two buckets of the night indicated just how physical the Fighting Illini were going to be in the quarterfinal matchup. Shannon, who piled up 14 points on 13 shots in the first half, slammed a one-handed dunk over Ohio State center Felix Okpara. And, soon after, Illinois wing Ty Rodgers flushed a two-handed jam.

Brad Underwood’s team, which clocks in as the eighth-tallest in the country according to KenPom, showed off its size advantage over the Buckeyes.

Whether it was the nimble yet 6-foot-6 Shannon attacking the rim like an angry bull or 6-foot-9, 255-pound center Dain Dainja backing down in the post like a bowling ball, the Illini were a force to be reckoned with. Not just offensively, either.

Illinois halted Ohio State on the other end of the court midway through the first half. The Buckeyes went more than four minutes without a field goal, and, during that span, they committed four turnovers. The Illini turned a one-point deficit into a seven-point lead.

Eventually, Jake Diebler’s squad snapped out of it and countered with a 9-0 surge that made it a game again. Ohio State actually prevented Illinois from recording a field goal for close to six minutes. The stretch was accompanied by a few costly Illini turnovers, including one that Scotty Middleton converted into a Roddy Gayle Jr. breakaway dunk.

Still, the physicality Illinois imposed couldn’t be ignored.

Buckeyes find themselves in serious first-half foul trouble, Illinois finds bonus quickly

Ohio State tried its best to combat Illinois’ size, particularly on the boards. The Illini came into the game ranked 19th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage, per KenPom. Despite their best efforts, though, the Buckeyes allowed eight offensive boards in the opening frame. Luckily for Ohio State, Illinois got just three second-chance points out of those opportunities.

Where the Buckeyes got hurt was the foul column. Four Ohio State players picked up at least two personals in the first half. Freshman forward Devin Royal and sophomore guard Evan Mahaffey each collected three in the opening frame.

Ohio State was whistled early and often for loose ball fouls while fighting for rebounds. It put Illinois in the bonus with eight minutes and change remaining in the period.

Illinois couldn’t fully capitalize, making only 5-of-10 shots from the charity stripe in the first half, but the foul trouble put Diebler and the Ohio State staff in a sticky situation.

When all was said and done, the Buckeyes were called for 27 fouls, as opposed to Illinois’ 13. Even though the Illini finished just 21-of-32 from the line, they benefited from those frequent trips.

Devin Royal, Scotty Middleton help Ohio State break tie, but Dain Dainja and Illini respond

Ohio State punched first in the second half. Illinois answered. But when the game was tied at 38-38 with 15:31 to go, the Buckeyes made their move on the Illini.

And Ohio State’s two emerging freshman were the architects behind it.

Royal got things started with back-to-back, mid-range jumpers, the second of which was a turnaround make. Then, following a tough-nosed and-one from Thornton — where he split Luke Goode and Justin Harmon en route to the cup — Middleton took the baton.

The first-year wing kissed a floater off the glass before knocking down a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, his 13th conversion in his last 20 tries from long range.

Another Thornton layup, and Ohio State had outscored Illinois, 14-6, since things were knotted up at 38 points apiece, giving the Buckeyes a 52-44 advantage with just over 12 minutes remaining.

Ohio State stretched that lead to double digits, only for Illinois to answer with a Dainja-themed 13-3 run.

From that point forward, it was back and forth. The Illini took back the lead with 2:22 to go and ultimately held off the Buckeyes.

Ohio State had no way of slowing down Dainja, who closed the night with 18 points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes of action. Shannon led the Illini with 28 points.

Battle scored a team-high 21 points for Ohio State, and Thornton wasn’t far behind with 20 points and 10 assists. Okpara, fellow Buckeyes center Zed Key and Gayle all had at least seven rebounds, and Ohio State trailed Illinois on the glass by just four, 44-40.