No. 23 Illinois (15-7, 7-5 Big Ten) at Rutgers (11-11, 4-7 Big Ten)

Day and time: Wednesday (Feb. 5) at 7:30 p.m. CT
Venue: Jersey Mike’s Arena (RAC), Piscataway, New Jersey
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: N/A
Listen: WDWS-AM 1400 (Champaign)
WLS-AM 890 (Chicago)
Illini Sports Network affiliates (other local markets)
Varsity Network app
SiriusXM 372
SXM App 372

Illinois vs. Rutgers all time: Illinois leads the series 13-4
Streak: Illinois has won three in a row against Rutgers
Last meeting: Illinois 86, Rutgers 63 (Jan. 21, 2024, Champaign, Illinois)

Probable Illinois starters:

G Kasparas Jakucionis

G Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn
G Tre White
F Morez Johnson Jr.
C Tomislav Ivisic

Key stat: 34.1

Rutgers opponents are shooting 34.1 percent from three-point range – the highest rate allowed by any squad in the Big Ten.

Illinois hasn’t been able to knock down shots from beyond the arc with any level of consistency this season – and especially of late (five straight games below 28.1 percent) – so Wednesday’s matchup may be exactly what the Illini need to get back on track.

Quick tips:

Illinois fell to No. 23 in the latest AP Poll after a week that included an 80-74 overtime loss at Nebraska and an 87-79 come-from-behind win at home against Ohio State.

Meanwhile, Rutgers has lost three of its past four, with the lone win coming against Northwestern behind Bailey’s Herculean 37-point showing (13-for-20 field-goal shooting).

With Tomislav Ivisic (mono) back on the floor and a shakeup to the starting lineup beyond just his return, the Illini finally returned to early-season form in the second half Sunday against Ohio State – on both ends. Putting up 51 second-half points and holding the Buckeyes to 37 – including holding them scoreless for one five-minute stretch – Illinois finally seemed to begin putting some of the pieces back together.

The Scarlet Knights have home-court advantage, and the RAC – where Rutgers is 8-3 this season – can be a doozy of a setting for visitors. But that’s about the only advantage for the home team. Banged up and struggling, the Scarlet Knights will try to get back into the win column against a high-octane, flexible Illinois squad that has all the tools to pull off the road victory. Expect the Illini’s size and length to propel them on both sides of the court – and prove to be too much for the home team to handle.

Illinois 84, Rutgers 77

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