There could be an upset alert in Champaign with Ohio State up on Illinois.

And Ohio State is not just up, but up big in large part due to a 22-4 run.

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The No. 21 Buckeyes are leading No. 14 Illinois 39-24 at halftime in what has been an impressive first half of road basketball for Ohio State.

The visitors were led by forward E.J. Liddell who had 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting and was the only Buckeye player with double-digit scoring. Most impressive for Ohio State, however, is the 17 points that have come off the bench so far for a team that is 51.6 percent from the floor in the first half.

Illinois hasn’t necessarily struggled offensively but has had a hard time finding a hot hand.  Part of it might be rust as their midweek game against Nebraska was cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols.

Last time out on the court, Illinois lost at home 66-63 to Maryland.

The hot start to the game continues a recent uptick for Ohio State, who beat then ranked Rutgers last weekend on the road and then Northwestern midweek. Both wins were by double-digits.