In the weeks prior to Ohio State's much-anticipated matchup with its arch-rival, the Buckeyes had been able to overcome its biggest weakness. With no member of the rotation standing taller than 6'8", opposing big men had their way on the block against Holtmann's team, even as they had gone on an impressive streak of 10 wins in 11 games.
In the 87-81 upset win in Illinois last month, this mismatch was obvious from the opening tip, as the Illini's massive seven-footer, Kofi Cockburn, bullied the 6'7" E.J. Liddell right to the bucket. Though Liddell is quite strong for a college power forward, he still gave up five inches and almost fifty pounds to the Illinois center.