Illinois trails Ohio State at the half

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The last time Illinois played Ohio State, it had just 20 points at halftime. On Tuesday, the Illini had that within the first 10 minutes of the game, but still trail the Buckeyes 37-33 at the half.

Jon Diebler has five 3-pointers for Ohio State. Brandon Paul provided a spark off the bench for Illinois with nine points and Demetri McCamey has 12.

Even though their 1-3-1 zone proved effective against Illinois in Champaign, the Buckeyes played mostly man-to-man defense in the first half. And on one possession, when they did get into their zone, McCamey found a wide open ball under the basket for a dunk.

Paul helped the Illini survive a 12-0 run from Ohio State that gave the Buckeyes a 28-21 lead with 7:16 remaining. He scored Illinois' next six points while McCamey hit a 3-pointer to tie the score at 30-30. Diebler hit just before the half ended to give Ohio State its four-point lead.