Random thoughts from the debacle that was Illinois-Ohio State ...

--Ohio State coach Jim Foster had the perfect game plan, one befitting a guy who has now won 699 games in his career. Of course, it helps that he has the horses to carry out that plan. But if I was coaching against Illinois, and I had ample resources, I'd do exactly what Foster chose to do: Apply serious heat to the UI's shaky, turnover-prone backcourt -- Illinois averages the second-most turnovers in the Big Ten -- while playing a zone defense that befuddled the Illini, who did little of anything to be effective against it. Yes, the Buckeyes also it up, playing some man-to-man, but it was their zone that was most effective. Illinois had no answer, making 26 turnovers, a ghastly total.

Again, not all teams have the weapons to carry out this sort of plan. But Ohio State does, and it knows what its doing. In the last four meetings against Ohio State -- all Illinois losses -- the Illini have scored 47, 53, 51 and 35 points. That won't win many games against an elite team. 

Jolette Law vowed after the game that the Illini would be ready for the rematch. That's only 16 days away, which means those should be some interesting practices leading up to the game in Columbus.

--Illinois chose not to double team OSU All-American center Jantel Lavender, who went for 31 points. Wise move? The Bucks seemed surprised, but I have a hard time second-guessing the Illini on this one. One of the most impressive things about Ohio State is their spacing on offense. They have two solid three-point shooters on the wings in Sarah Schulze and Brittany Johnson, though neither shot well on Monday. But if you double on Lavender, someone is going to be open. And on this Ohio State team, that open person is capable of burning you. Would you rather have Schulze shooting from 19 feet rather than Lavender from 5? Of course. But you have to pick your poison against a good team. 

Along those lines, Jenna Smith said afterward that she was more impressed with OSU's offense than its defense. 

--Lacey Simpson appeared to be in serious pain when injuring her left shoulder with 4 minutes left. She left the game and did not return, sitting on the bench with an icepack on the shoulder. I didn't see the play, but I'm told her arm was extended backward by an opponent when reaching for the ball. In any event, Law seemed fairly unconcerned afterward, a good sign that perhaps it wasn't as bad as it appeared. 

--Lavender clearly got the best of her matchup against Smith, but these comparisons can be tricky because there's a vast -- and I mean VAST -- difference in the players' supporting casts. Lavender benefits from the league's best point guard, a supremely creative, pass-first dynamo who is terribly hard to guard in the halfcourt or the fullcourt. Illinois? Has no point guard. Period. End of story. And while Lavender has a pair of three-point threats on the wings -- who are good enough to lead a team like Illinois to single-cover Lavender in the paint -- Smith has no such luxury.

You can rest assured Lavender will win the Big Ten Player of the Year award. Book it now. Given her team's success, and her gaudy stats, no one else has any chance. But it's a bit unfair to say Smith doesn't measure up. She struggled to finish her shots Monday -- she left several of them short, and she seemed to be tight early in the game, perhaps feeling the burden of having to carry her team -- but she has proven in the past that she's as good as Lavender, or awfully close to it. It'd be interesting to see Lavender play for the Illini for one game while Smith donned a Buckeye uniform. Then we might get a greater insight into how good these two are.