It is a Big Ten Battle on Tuesday as Illinois visits Ohio State. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with an Illinois-Ohio State prediction, pick, and how to watch.

Illinois enters the game sitting at 15-5 on the year. They are also 6-3 in conference play this year. Illinois opened conference play with wins over Rutgers and Northwestern before a close loss to Purdue. They would also fall to Maryland while falling by five in their second game with Northwestern. Last time out they faced Indiana, winning by eight.

Meanwhile, Ohio State enters the game at 13-7, but they are 3-6 in conference play, sitting 11th in the Big Ten. Their only non-conference loss was to Texas A&M by seven. Still, they have struggled as of late. They have lost five of their last six games in Big Ten play, losing by ten or more in three of the last four losses. The only win in that streak was a 12-point win over Penn State. That was the second time they faced Penn State, this time at home, after thye lost by three the first time.

Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: Illinois-Ohio State Odds

Illinois: -3.5 (-102)

Moneyline: -152

Ohio State: +3.5 (-120)

Moneyline: +126

Over: 149.5 (-106)

Under: 149.5 (-114)

How to Watch Illinois vs. Ohio State 

Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT

TV: Peacock

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Illinois Will Cover The Spread/Win

Illinois ranks tenth in adjusted efficiency in KenPom rankings while sitting seventh in adjusted offensive efficiency and 30th in adjusted defensive efficiency. They are 22nd in points per game this year while sitting 26th in field goals made per game this year. Terrence Shannon Jr. has returned from suspension and is playing well. He is averaging 19.9 points per game this year while shooting 48.2 percent from the field this year. Meanwhile, Marcus Domsak and Coleman Hawkins come in playing well. Domsak comes in with 15.2 points per game while leading the team with 3.5 assists per game this year. Hawkins comes in with 11.9 points per game while shooting 32.8 percent from there this year.

What has been special about this Illinois team is the rebounding this year, they are third in the nation in rebounds per game. They are tops in the nation in fourth rebounds per game while sitting 18th in offensive rebounds. Quincy Guerrier shines here. He comes in with 7.9 rebounds per game, helping his 11.3 points per game. Hawkins comes in rebounding well with 6.6 rebounds per game, while Ty Rodgers comes in with 5.1 rebounds per game.

On defense, Illinois is 87th in the nation in opponent points per game, while sitting 14th in opponent effective field goal percentage.  Hawkins leads the team with 1.9 steals per game this year while having 1.3 blocks per game this year. Meanwhile, Shannon has a steal per game and 1.1 blocks per game this year.

Why Ohio State Will Cover The Spread/Win

Ohio State is 61st in the nation in adjusted efficiency this year, while sitting 48th on offense, and 99th on the defensive side of the game. On offense this year, Ohio State ranks 117th in the nation in points per game, while also sitting 52nd in assist-to-turnover ratio.  On offense, Bruce Thornton leads the way. He comes into the game with 16.1 points per game this year, while also having 44.4 assists per game this year. He is shooting just 41.6 percent this year but has been solid at the line this year. Meanwhile, Roddy Gayle Jr. comes in with 13.8 points per game this year. He also has 3.5 assists per year. Still, he leads the team in turnovers this year with 2.7 turnovers per game on the season. Jamison Battle rounds out the top scorers with 13.8 points per game while hitting 44.2 percent of his three-point attempts.

Ohio State is 52nd in the nation in rebounding this year, while sitting top 50 in offensive rebounding rate. Leading the way on the boards this year is Felix Okpara, who comes in with 7.1 rebounds per game this year. For the offense, it is Zed Key that is huge on the glass. He is averaging 4.8 rebounds per game this year, but almost half of his rebounds this year have been on the offensive glass.

On defense, Ohio State ranks 78th in the nation this year allowing just 68.2 points per game. They do a great job of stopping passing, allowing just 11.1 assists per game, which is the 47th-best mark in the nation. They start strong on defense, sitting 22nd in the nation in points per game allowed in the first half. Ohio State is also 41st in the nation in blocks per game this year. This is led by Felix Okpara, who comes in with 2.5 blocks per game this year.

Final Illinois-Ohio State Prediction & Pick

Ohio State has struggled heavily in Big Ten play, but they are still a quality team. They have a solid defense that can help them out a ton. This game will come down to tempo though. Illinois ranks 69th in the nation in adjusted tempo this year, while Ohio State is outside the top 200. If Ohio State can control the tempo, they have the rebounding and defense to keep this one close.

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Final Illinois-Ohio State Prediction & Pick: Ohio State +3.5 (-120)