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Women's basketball Game 18 preview: No. 12 Ohio State at Illinois, 6 p.m. Thursday

Joe Vozzelli, The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
·5 min read

Jan. 25—Lineups

Illinois (8-9, 2-5 Big Ten)StartersP Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown

G Makira Cook Sr. 5-6 13.8 Cincinnati

G Genesis Bryant Sr. 5-6 14.9 Jonesboro, Ga.

G Adalia McKenzie Jr. 5-10 10.0 Brooklyn Park, Minn.

F Kendall Bostic Sr. 6-2 12.3 Kokomo, Ind.

C Camille Hobby Sr. 6-3 8.6 Jacksonville, Fla.

FYI:

* Hobby, who has now made five starts for the Illini, is putting up 11.6 points and 5.8 rebounds while in the starting five. Illinois is 3-2 when the North Carolina State fifth-year transfer has started, with the Illini also averaging 80.0 points in the five games.

Off the bench

P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown

F Brynn Shoup-Hill Jr. 6-3 4.5 Goshen, Ind.

G Gretchen Dolan Fr. 5-11 3.6 Buffalo, N.Y.

G Kam'Ren Rhodes So. 5-6 1.9 Chandler, Ariz.

No. 12 Ohio State (15-3, 6-1 Big Ten)Starters

P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown

G Jacy Sheldon Gr. 5-10 17.6 Dublin, Ohio

G Celeste Taylor Gr. 5-11 9.2 Valley Stream, N.Y.

F Cotie McMahon So. 6-0 13.9 Centerville, Ohio

G/F Taylor Thierry Jr. 6-1 13.1 Cleveland

F Rebeka Mikulášiková Gr. 6-4 9.1 Nitra, Slovakia

FYI:

* McMahon has had four 20-plus point games this season, with her most recent performance earning the sophomore forward Big Ten Player of the Week honors. The 6-footer poured in a career-high 33 points and added a season-high 12 rebounds during the Buckeyes' 100-92 overtime win against then-No. 2 Iowa this past Sunday in Columbus, Ohio.

Off the bench

P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown

G Rikki Harris R-Sr. 5-10 4.6 Indianapolis

G Madison Greene R-Sr. 5-8 3.0 Pickerington, Ohio

G Emma Shumate R-So. 6-1 4.9 Dresden, Ohio

Details

Site:

* State Farm Center (15,544); Champaign.

Radio: Mike Koon

* will have the call on WDWS 1400-AM & 93.9-FM.

Streaming: Zora Stephenson (play-by-play) and Aja Ellison

* (color analyst) will have the call on Peacock (subscription).

Series:

* Ohio State leads 57-20.

Last meeting:

* Ohio State won 87-81 against Illinois on Jan. 8, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio.

FYI: The Buckeyes have won 11 straight in the series, with the last Illini win coming during the 2014-15 season. Illinois produced a 66-55 win in Champaign that season behind 18 points from Ivory Crawford and a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds from Chatrice White

* .

Beat writer Joe Vozzelli's storylines

Hobby now fully acclimated to Green, Illini

Camille Hobby's transfer to Illinois marked a first for Shauna Green as a Division I coach. Hobby was the first fifth-year graduate transfer Green had on her roster after six seasons at Dayton and with Green now in her second year leading the Illini program. That presented a unique challenge for Green. A process the Illinois coach learned a lot about with getting Hobby acclimated and carving out a role for the 6-foot-3 center on a roster returning 93.4 percent of its scoring from last season's 22-10 NCAA tournament team. "We're 17 games in and you can see Hobby's continued to progress," Green said. "She understands, 'OK, this is what they want defensively. This is how I fit in the system,' and I think she's playing at an elite level. ... It takes some time to get comfortable and get in that rhythm together." For her part, Hobby is also feeling more confident in her role. But the North Carolina State transfer admitted that's been the case across the board for an Illini team playing better collectively during the past month. "I definitely think that as a team we're learning one another," Hobby said, "and obviously, trying to get some wins. We just have to keep working and stay true to ourselves."

'Humble' five-star Wallace reaping rewardsGreen helped break the news to Berry Wallace on Tuesday afternoon that the future Illini wing had earned the distinction as a McDonald's All-American. The Illinois coach has signed two players for the Class of 2024, with the 6-foot-1 Pickerington Central (Ohio) standout Wallace a five-star, top-20 recruit, per ESPN.com's HoopGurlz, and Hayven Smith, a 6-foot-6 center from Lincoln-Way East, the first home-state recruit of the Green era. "She's very humble," Green said of Wallace. "Calling her (Tuesday), being able to hear her reaction and how surprised she was. You know (being a McDonald's All-American) wasn't something that she probably even expected. ... She's just an unbelievable person, unbelievable player. Can't wait to get her here and get her on campus as part of our team."

'They can beat you in so many ways'Adalia McKenzie making one of two free throws had Illinois up 17 at 57-40 last January in Columbus, Ohio, with six minutes, 56 seconds left in the third quarter. But that's when things started to unravel for the Illini with Ohio State outscoring them 47-24 in the final 17 minutes to prevail 87-81 at Value City Arena. It's a loss Green hasn't forgotten about. Even if it did happen more than a year ago. "No. 1, we have to take care of the basketball," the Illinois coach said with Ohio State ranking second in the Big Ten with 10.3 steals per game. "Being able to break the press initially and then transition from press break into offense. They want to take you out of your rhythm. Obviously, we have to defend. They can beat you in so many ways. ... You're so worried about their press but then you are also like, 'Shoot, I've got to guard Cotie McMahon, Jacy Sheldon' and the list goes on and on."

The News-Gazette's Pick

No. 12 Ohio State 88, Illinois 82The overtime home win against Iowa was the Buckeyes at their very best with a hyper-efficient offense. That Ohio State won despite really getting nothing from their press defense — and with Caitlin Clark scoring 45 points — shows the Buckeyes' ability to win in multiple ways. The Illini just haven't shown that kind of ability. At least not consistently enough against high-level competition (N-G prediction record: 11-6).