Ohio State vs Illinois Prediction 12/9/25 College Basketball Picks Today

The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Ohio State Buckeyes meet Tuesday in college basketball action from Value City Arena in Columbus. Here’s an Ohio State vs Illinois prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Ohio State vs Illinois pick.

Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Preview

Illinois opened the season on a nice run, taking wins over their first four games. Those victories were over Jackson State, Florida Gulf Coast, Texas Tech and Colgate in succession. The Illini would go just 2-2 over the next four though, beating Long Island University and UT Rio Grande Valley in between losses to Alabama and UConn. Over eight games that would give the Illini a 6-2 overall record this season.

In the Saturday matchup with Tennessee, the Illini were trailing 34-32 by the break. Illinois woke up after halftime though, hitting a 43-28 run the rest of the way in a comeback win 75-62. Keaton Wagler had 16 points with eight boards and five assists in the victory, and Tomislav Ivisic had 16 points with five rebounds and three assists of his own. Kylan Boswell chipped in with 15 points, three assist sand two rebounds over 36 minutes in the winning effort as well.

Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Preview

Over on the Ohio State side, they kicked off their season with a nice win streak as well. The Buckeyes beat IUPUI and Fort Wayne in their first pair, then took out App State in game three. After a win over Notre Dame, Ohio State beat Western Michigan and Mount St. Mary’s over the next two outings. The Buckeyes took their first loss of the season versus Pittsburgh on November 28, leaving the team with a 6-1 record across their first seven games of the year.

Matched up against Northwestern on Saturday, the Buckeyes were in trouble at halftime on a 44-40 deficit. Ohio State came back on a 46-38 run and took the win 86-82 in the end. Brandon Noel was tops on the team with 29 points and seven boards. Bruce Thornton doubled up with 17 points, 10 assists and four rebounds, while Amare Bynum had 11 points with five rebounds in the winning effort for Ohio State.

Illinois Fighting Illini @ Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Trends: December 9, 2025

Why the Ohio State Buckeyes will win

• Ohio State has won each of its last seven games at Value City Arena at Schottenstein Center.
• Ohio State has won the first half in each of its last six night games at Value City Arena at Schottenstein Center.

Why the Illinois Fighting Illini will win

• Illinois has won each of its last 10 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Ohio State has lost five of its last six night games against AP-ranked opponents at Value City Arena at Schottenstein Center.
• Illinois has won the first half in each of its last 10 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Ohio State’s last 10 night games against AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 152 or fewer points.
• Six of Illinois’ last seven games against non-AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 156+ points.

Ohio State vs Illinois Prediction

I’ll stick with Ohio State, but this will be an interesting matchup regardless. The Buckeyes started slowly versus Northwestern in their latest win, but eventually shot a nice 57.4 percent from the field with a 62-38 advantage on points in the paint. Ohio State hit just 4-of-14 (28.6 percent) from 3-point range and 12-of-20 (60 percent) from the line however, alongside a 30-27 rebounding deficit. It was a nice bounce-back game following a one-point loss to Pitt, but perhaps a little too close for comfort.

As for Illinois, they took care of a good Tennessee team over the weekend thanks to 48.3 percent shooting from the field, 11-of-28 (39.3 percent) from outside and just six turnovers. Illinois did get blitzed on the boards 44-30 and missed six of their 14 free throws (57.1 percent), though. If the Illini can keep it going they’ll do some damage in this one. I could easily see things going Illinois’ way.