Tuesday night in CBB will see the Ohio State Buckeyes travel to the Champaign, Illinois to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini. The game is scheduled for a 9:00 pm tipoff and will be televised live on ESPN. Currently Ohio State is favored by 8.5 points with the total being set at 123.5 for this game. The fifth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will try to hand the Illinois Fighting Illini their first loss at Assembly Hall, when the two meet tonight for a Big Ten Conference bout in Champaign.

Free Analysis: This will be the 172nd meeting in the all-time series between these two historic Big Ten powers. Illinois holds a 102-69 advantage in the rivalry, but the Buckeyes have won five straight over the Illini coming into tonight. Thad Matta's Buckeyes come in with an impressive 15-2 record after dominating Iowa 76-47 their last time out. The victory improved the team's Big Ten record to 2-1, as it lost to Indiana in its conference opener on New Year's Eve. The only losses for Ohio State came from ranked opponents, Kansas and Indiana. The leader of the Buckeyes is Jared Sullinger, who has been particularly good in Big Ten games, shooting 66.0 percent while averaging 19.8 points and 10.8 rebounds, after entering conference play at 16.2 and 9.2, respectively. Sullinger, who is the reigning Big 10 Player of the Week, was also dominant in his only previous visit to Champaign, totaling 27 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks while playing the full 40 minutes of a 73-68 win Jan. 22. Sully has been backed up by strong play form William Bufford (15.4 ppg and 4.7 rpg) and Deshaun Thomas (14.8 ppg and 4.1 rpg). The trio have combined to help lead the Buckeyes to #1 in the nation in scoring margin (23.1 ppg), the 29th ranked scoring offense (78 ppg) and 9th ranking shooting team (49.6%). At the defensive end this team has been very stingy, allowing just 54.9 ppg (6th) on 39.1 % shooting (39th). Illinois is coming off a 59-54 win over Nebraska on Saturday. The victory brought the Fighting Illini's overall record to 14-3 and made its Big Ten record 3-1. Head coach Bruce Weber has to be pleased with his team's defensive performance as of late, as it has held its last three opponents to 60 points or less. For the year this team has allowed just 60.2 ppg (39th) on 40.1% shooting (71st). On Offense the Illini have just 4 players averaging 9.9 ppg or better and one of them is out (Sam Maniscalco, 9.9 ppg), while another is DJ Richardson (13.2 ppg) and he is banged up as well, although he will start. Even when healthy, Richardson has struggled against Ohio State. The junior has averaged 6.2 ppg on 27.9 % shooting in losing all five games he's played versus the Buckeyes. Myers  Leonard has improved over last year to become one of better centers in the Big Ten. The 7-1 post player is averaging 12.9 ppg and is the third-best rebounder in the conference with 8.0 boards per game and he has the tough task of holding down Sullinger in this one. Brandon Paul is third on the team in scoring with 12.1 ppg and leads it in assists. The Fighting Illini will need the bench to step up and produce more than the seven-point contribution it submitted versus Nebraska. This could be a close game, so let's also note that Illinois is 9-1 in games decided by less than 10 points this season, and 5-1 in games decided by five or fewer.

Free Pick: I see this game being a bit more high scoring than one would think. The OVER is 13-4 when Illinois is playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 80%) over the last 3 seasons, while the OVER is 11-3 in Buckeye road games versus good defensive teams - allowing <=64 points/game over the last 2 season. The Buckeyes have played great defense this year (54.9 ppg), but on the road they have slipped a bit, allowing 66.2 on 45.7% shooting and that includes allowing Iowa just 47 points in their last game on the road. Now Illinois can score some at home where they have averaged 71.6 ppg on a very solid 48.3% shooting. The Buckeyes have been very good on offense this year (78 ppg) and they have also shot the ball well (49.6 %) overall, while on the road they have averaged 71.8 ppg on 47.2% shooting. Both teams have more than enough ability to hit 62+ points in this one, even though they are play good defenses. OSU gives up points on the road and Illinois can score at home. while their defense will not be able to contain the Big Three of the Buckeyes. I expect about 130 in this one.