Ohio State’s winning ways didn’t last long.
The Buckeyes snapped their five-game losing skid with a win over Iowa on Saturday, but stumbled on the road in Champaign Tuesday to suffer a sixth loss in the past seven games. Illinois picked up a 69-60 victory to win its fifth game out of the last sixth.
Unlike each of Ohio State’s previous five losses, this one wasn’t particularly close, despite a single-digit deficit to end the night. In fact, it was the Buckeyes’ most lopsided Big Ten defeat of the season.
Illinois benefitted from frequent Ohio State fouls and an inefficient first half from the field for the Buckeyes, who found themselves trailing by double-digits early in the second period.