(22) OSU Edges (15) Illinois in a Classic Big Ten Battle

By: Derek Ross ~ 11:00 AM CT

The Big Ten Championship rematch from last season was nothing short of spectacular.

Illinois (-7.0) looked poised to stay in the race for a shared position of a Big Ten Regular Season Championship. However, EJ Liddell, Malaki Branham, and the Buckeyes had other plans.

Despite a sluggish 12-5 deficit early, Ohio State was able to string together a terrific 14 minutes of second half basketball. The Buckeyes were able to frustrate Kofi Cockburn, especially, in the first half, drawing three first-half fouls, and eventually a fifth late into the second half.

With 4:33 remaining, the NPOY-candidate committed a loose ball foul which had the fans in Champaign absolulety livid. Not to mention, ILL Coach, Brad Underwood was so frustrated, in fact, that he committed his second technical foul before ultimately gtting ejected, and gave the fans a little boost of energy.

That boost of energy might've been just what the Fightining Illini needed, as they finished the game on a 25-12 run, beginning from the 5:58 mark. Alfonso Plummer was absolutely electric during this stretch, and finished with 26 PTS on 8/10 3PT shooting.

The other NPOY Candidate in this contest, EJ Liddell, also did his thing, pouring in 21 PTS, 6 REB and a game-high 4 BLKS.

No one shined brighter than Malaki Branham on the big stage, however. The leader for BIG10 Freshman of the Year made his mark in fantastic fashion, scoring 31 PTS on 10/14 FG with just ONE 3-Point attempt.

The Buckeyes (11-5, 18-7) now find themselves at fourth in the Big Ten Standings, 1/2 a game back of Illinois (12-5, 19-8).

Whiel they might not have a great shot at a Big Ten *Regular Season* Championship, Ohio State showed they're more than capable of reaching (and possibly winning) the Big Ten Championship game, yet again.