The University of Illinois has instituted a proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative-test protocol for all university sponsored events open to the public with more than 200 people in attendance. This policy will be in effect for Thursday's Illinois vs. Michigan women's basketball game at State Farm Center. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
PREVIEW
Opening Tip
The Fighting Illini close out a three-game home stand - all against foes ranked or receiving top-25 votes - hosting the No. 18/21-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on Monday night.
» Tipoff between the Fighting Illini (6-14, 1-8 B1G) and the Buckeyes (18-4, 10-3 B1G) is set for 8 p.m. CT at State Farm Center.
» The game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network with Mike Hall (play-by-play) and Christy Winters Scott (analyst).
» Mike Koon will call the action for the Illini on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (1400 AM / 93.9 FM).
» Streaming audio and live stats are also available at FightingIllini.com.
About the Illini
Illinois enters Monday's game vs. No. 18 Ohio State with an overall record of 6-14 (1-8 B1G), and will be looking to snap a six-game skid.
» The Illini are 6-6 at home, but have struggled away from State Farm Center, going 0-8, including a pair of neutral-site losses as part of the Daytona Beach Invitational in November.
» Offensively, the Illini have opened the season with an improved scoring average from last season. Through 20 games, the Illini are averaging 65.0 points per game, an improvement of more than five points per game over last year's season average of 59.6 ppg.
» Illinois enter Monday's game vs. Ohio State with a 5-1 mark in games in which the Illini offense scores at least 70 points.
» Leading scorer, sophomore G Aaliyah Nye, is averaging 11.7 ppg, an improvement of nearly four points per game from her freshman campaign (8.1 ppg).
» Junior G De'Myla Brown ranks just behind Nye and is just shy of a double-figures scoring average at 9.6 points per game.
» Behind Nye and Brown, the Illini's offensive attack has been balanced with seven other players tallying at least one double-digit scoring game, and three others, Adalia McKenzie (8.8), Jada Peebles (7.2), Jayla Oden (6.6), and Kendall Bostic (6.5) entering action vs. OSU averaging better than 6.0 ppg.
» Sophomore F Kendall Bostic is the top rebounder in the Big Ten Conference and enters play this week ranked 13th nationally at 11.50 rebounds per game.
About Ohio State
Ohio State enters Monday's game with an overall record of 18-4 (10-3 B1G), and is coming off of an 80-70 home win over Nebraska last Thursday.
» The Buckeyes went 9-1 in non-conference play, aided by a 5-0 start with blowout wins over Bucknell (71-48), Norfolk State (86-48), Bowling Green (94-63), Bellarmine (110-58) and Cincinnati (86-50) before a 97-91 loss at Syracuse as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Dec. 1.
» Since the calendar flipped to 2022, the Buckeyes are 9-1 with their lone loss coming at home vs. No. 7 Michigan (77-58), on Jan. 27.
» The team is riding a three-game win streak - with victories at No. 21 Iowa (92-88), vs. Rutgers (61-57) and vs. Nebraska (80-70) - entering the matchup vs. Illinois.
» OSU is 6-2 on the road in 2021-22 and has won four consecutive road games against conference opponents entering Monday night.
» Ohio State is led by led by junior G Jacy Sheldon, a 2020-21 second team All-B1G selection. Sheldon leads the team and ranks sixth in the B1G in scoring at 20.05 ppg. Sheldon also leads the team in assists (84) and steals (39).
» Senior G Taylor Mikesell and junior F Rebeka Mikulasikova also average double-figures scoring at 19.5 ppg and 10.3 ppg, respectively.
» Mikulasikova is the Buckeyes' top rebounder, pulling down 5.82 rebounds per game.
» Mikesell ranks as one of the nation's top three-point threats, leading the Big Ten in both three-pointers made per game (3.95) and three-pointer percentage (.497).
» As a team, OSU leads the nation in three-point shooting percentage (.401) and ranks as the No. 4 scoring offense in the nation at 82.0 ppg.
» Head coach Kevin McGuff is in his ninth season at the helm of the OSU program after previously serving as the head coach for two seasons at Washington (2011-13) and nine more at Xavier (2002-11).
Series vs. Ohio State
Monday's matchup vs. Ohio State marks the 76th in the series between the Illini and the Buckeyes dating back to the `1978-79 season.
» Illinois trails in the all-time series, 20-55. The Illini are 14-20 in games play in Champaign, while posting a 5-29 mark in Columbus and a 1-6 record in neutral-site contests.
» The Illini last defeated the Buckeyes, 66-55, in Champaign on Feb. 14, 2015. OSU has won nine straight in the series overall.
» The Buckeyes captured a 90-69 win in Columbus in the first matchup of the season (Jan. 6). A box score and recap of that game is available on Page 20 of this release.
Up Next
The Fighting Illini play their penultimate road game of the regular season on Thursday, traveling to West Lafayette, Ind., for a rematch against Purdue at Mackey Arena.
» Tipoff between the Illini and the Boilermakers is set for 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m.. CT, and the game will be streamed live on B1G+.
» Purdue (14-11, 5-9 B1G) is returning home after a narrow 54-52 road loss at Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon.
» Purdue captured the first matchup with the Illini, 89-67, at State Farm Center on Jan. 20.
Follow The Illini
For more Fighting Illini women's basketball news, stay tuned to FightingIllini.com and follow @IlliniWBB on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook.
FULL GAME NOTES (PDF)
