Ohio State won’t win the Big Ten regular season championship. And, apparently, it doesn’t want anyone else to win it, either. The No. 19 Buckeyes erased a seven-point Illinois halftime lead Thursday at Value City Arena to claim a 71-63 victory that seriously damaged the Illini’s title hopes on a night where almost everything that’s worked for OSU in a recent 8-2 stretch went missing. Despite being the best three-point percentage team in the league, Ohio State made only three-of-15 attempts beyond the arc. Second-leading scorer Duane Washington, a play-making machine for OSU during its recent stretch seldom played in the second half because of matchup issues. When he came in with 1:49 to play after leading scorer Kaleb Wesson’s fifth personal — also, not ideal — Washington promptly turned it over and fed an Illinois layup in transition. Nevertheless, OSU (21-9, 11-8) survived, perhaps winning this game two years…
Continue Reading: E.J. Liddell Rescues Ohio State in 71-63 Victory
