Lineups
Illinois (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten)
Starters
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G Destiny Jackson Fr. 5-6 7.9 Chicago
G Gretchen Dolan R-So. 5-11 14.9 Buffalo, N.Y.
G Jasmine Brown-Hagger Jr. 5-9 5.7 Shorewood
F Berry Wallace So. 6-1 18.2 Pickerington, Ohio
F Cearah Parchment Fr. 6-3 11.1 Whitby, Ontario
FYI: Maddie Webber had a season-high 22 points in Sunday’s 81-75 loss at No. 24 Michigan State, with the Villanova transfer also making four of her eight three-point attempts. Through 15 games, Webber ranks 12th in the Big Ten in three-point shooting at 47.4 percent.
Off the bench
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G Maddie Webber Jr. 5-11 11.5 Bridgeville, Pa.
G Aaliyah Guyton So. 5-7 6.5 Peoria
C Lety Vasconcelos R-So. 6-7 3.5 Miguel Calmon, Brazil
No. 19 Ohio State (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten)
Starters
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G Jaloni Cambridge So. 5-7 19.4 Nashville, Tenn.
G Chance Gray Sr. 5-9 12.5 Cincinnati
G Kennedy Cambridge R-Jr. 5-8 8.5 Nashville, Tenn.
G/F Kylee Kitts R-Fr. 6-4 9.3 Oviedo, Fla.
C Elsa Lemmilä So. 6-6 7.0 Espoo, Finland
FYI: Jaloni Cambridge ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring average with the guard shooting 50.2/18.4/82.8 percent. Cambridge is doing so while also pulling down 5.3 rebounds per game and averaging 3.9 assists per game. The lone problem areas for Cambridge have been her three-point shooting and the fact the sophomore has 48 turnovers compared to 58 assists.
Off the bench
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G T’yana Todd Sr. 6-0 7.5 Vaughan, Ontario
G Ava Watson So. 5-8 7.3 Buford, Ga.
G Bryn Martin Fr. 6-1 5.1 Springboro, Ohio
Details
Site: State Farm Center (15,544); Champaign.
Streaming: BTN Plus.
Radio: Mike Koon (play-by-play) and former Illini Kendall Bostic (analysis) will have the call on WDWS 1400-AM and WDWS 93.9-FM.
Series: Ohio State leads 59-20.
Last meeting: Ohio State won 83-74 on Dec. 8, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio.
FYI: Shauna Green‘s Illini teams are 0-3 against the Buckeyes. All three games have been decided by nine or fewer points, though. Last year’s Big Ten matchup at Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center saw former Ohio State forward Cotie McMahon lead all scorers with 25 points, while Genesis Bryant
had 22 points for Illinois.
Beat writer Joe Vozzelli’s storylines
‘Open communication’ in wake of loss
Sunday’s loss at No. 24 Michigan State had similar vibes to what happened the previous last time Illinois came out on the wrong side of the score at Oregon State in mid-November. That defeat to the Spartans brought about a feeling the Illini didn’t play up their standard. Defensive mistakes and allowing Michigan State to thrive in rebounding on the offensive glass were among the topics of conversations in the visiting locker room at Michigan State as Illinois coach Shauna Green and her players broke the game down immediately afterward.
“I think we’re all very aware of where we need to be better throughout the game and after the game,” Illinois guard Gretchen Dolan said. “So, we have a lot of communication with each other. That’s the great thing (about us) and what’s led to a lot of our success this year is we’re able to have that open communication.”
Holding herself accountable
Cearah Parchment admitted to being frustrated during the Michigan State game. The freshman forward said that stemmed from the missteps the Whitby, Ontario, native made at the defensive end of the floor. Particularly in the first half as the Spartans got off to a fast start.
“For me personally, I just need to stay more mentally focused the entire game,” Parchment said. “I think I had lapses where I didn’t really lock in on the scout was, what the personnel was (against Michigan State). I was pretty frustrated throughout the entire game. … I gave up a few scores early and I think that ended up in me being frustrated. I can’t really allow that to happen, but just work on it and get better.”
Breaking the press key against Buckeyes
That Illinois is wrapping up a stretch of games where Green and Co. play three ranked teams in a seven-day stretch isn’t the only similarity Maryland, Michigan State and Ohio State share. The Buckeyes — like the Terrapins and Spartans before them — are known for the way Kevin McGuff‘s Ohio State teams utilize their press defense to fuel them. The Illini handled pressure well against Maryland (12 turnovers) and Michigan State (eight turnovers).
“I re-watched the game from last year (against Ohio State),” Green said, “to see what press break we ran, see different things. They did a really good job of scoring (off the press in that game). We did a decent job against the actual press. It was the half-court stuff.
“They get up so much in you. With this team, though, I want them to approach it like the last two games really. Yes, there are some nuances to (Ohio State). It still comes in waves. The third quarter is always a quarter where it’s really heavy as we know. We have multiple times been up on them at halftime and third quarter is just suffocating. I am going to do a better job of really preparing and understanding third quarter we have to really be locked in.”
The News-Gazette’s pick
Illinois 83, No. 19 Ohio State 79
The best way for the Illini to prove to voters they belong in the AP Top 25 after just missing out? Beat the Buckeyes on Wednesday night. A second ranked win in three games would be another significant upgrade to Illinois’ resume. Especially ahead of the Illini traveling to play struggling Penn State on Sunday before a new poll is released a day later. Illinois has already shown it can defeat high-level competition with last week’s home win against No. 7 Maryland. (News-Gazette prediction record: 13-2)
