Buckeyes Beat Illini 68-55 On 19 By Deshaun Thomas
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Deshaun Thomas, playing perhaps his final home game for No. 14 Ohio State, scored 19 points Sunday to lead the Buckeyes to a 68-55 victory over Illinois, keeping alive their hopes of a Big Ten title tie.
The victory put Ohio State (23-7, 13-5) in position to grab a share of the Big Ten title if No. 7 Michigan can win at home against No. 2 Indiana later on Sunday. The Buckeyes are assured the No. 2 seed in next week's Big Ten tournament at Chicago's United Center.
Brandon Paul scored 21 points for Illinois (21-11, 8-10), which is guaranteed the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten tournament
Aaron Craft added 14 points and six assists while creating his usual havoc on defense. Lenzelle Smith Jr. had 10 points.
(© 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.)
