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No. 7 Ohio State falls to No. 4 Illinois 73-68, heads into Big Ten Tournament on 4-game skid

The Buckeyes will begin conference tournament play on Thursday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — (AP) Ayo Dosunmu returned after missing three games with a concussion and facial injuries to score 19 points, and No. 4 Illinois rallied late to beat No. 7 Ohio State 73-68.

Andre Curbelo also had 19 points as Illinois (20-6, 16-4 Big Ten) got its second straight road win over a top 10 team after routing No. 2 Michigan on Tuesday. The Illini have won 11 of 12 and enter next week's Big Ten Tournament with a double-bye.

E.J. Liddell led the Buckeyes (18-8, 12-8) with 19 points, and Duane Washington Jr. and Justice Sueing each had 15. OSU led by as many as four, but did not score a single point over the final 3:46 and missed its last 10 shots.

Ohio State has boasted one of the best teams in the country all season, but heads into next week's Big Ten Tournament on a four-game losing streak. They will get a first-round bye as the fifth seed in the 14-team bracket, but regardless of what happens are virtually assured of a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

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