NCAA Basketball 10 Simulation: Illinois vs. Ohio State

Despite being nearly five years old, NCAA Basketball 10 still plays remarkably well. Even when it's the CPU playing itself! This time it was the Illini taking on the Ohio State Buckeyes for their second-consecutive road game in the Big Ten. Illinois was looking to avoid an 0-2 start to conference play and Ohio State was looking to avoid back-to-back losses at home for the first time in nearly seven years.

1st Half:

The game started out slow, with the under-twelve timeout hitting as the teams were tied at 12 points a piece, but the pace soon picked up. Aaron Cosby, whom John Groce had rotated in off the bench in this game, was looking like he was back on track. He hit three early shots from behind the arc and was certainly the hot hand for the Illini. But point guard Shannon Scott was just as good for the Buckeyes, and he accumulated an early ten points including five free-throws converted.

The story of the first half for Illinois was foul trouble. Malcolm Hill and Nnanna Egwu each got called for two fouls in the first eight minutes, and freshman Leron Black had to be subbed in sooner than Groce probably would've liked. Maverick Morgan came on in relief of Egwu and did quite well, collecting three rebounds and scoring twice as well. Then Hill reentered a tied game with only a few moments remaining in the first half and got called for his third foul. Ted Valentine must've been the virtual referee for this one.

Halftime: Ohio State 37, Illinois 35

2nd Half:

The action really started to pick up in the second half when Rayvonte Rice and Ahmad Starks went off for a combined twenty points. Rice was very aggressive and converted several and-one opportunities to put the Illini up by eight at the under-twelve timeout. You could tell the Buckeye crowd was starting to get a little nervous about their chances of coming back. Whenever Scott and Ohio State would make a run, the Illini would answer right back. All five starters for Illinois reached double-digits and Cosby came off the bench and contributed nineteen more points.

The key moment of the game was when Illinois was leading 80-73 with only three minutes remaining and Cosby hit back-to-back deep three's to propel the Illini to a thirteen-point lead. Thad Matta called two timeouts during that run and it was all but over for Ohio State. Kendrick Nunn and Nnanna Egwu played well in the second half and went a combined 9-for-15 from the floor. It was an all-around effort for the Fighting Illini, who managed to spring the road upset. The final score didn't indicate how close the game was down the stretch, as Ahmad Starks hit two late, ultimately meaningless, three-pointers to send the points total over 90 for the second straight game.

Final: Illinois 93, Ohio State 76

Below you can find the entire box score in detail from the game.