No. 16 Illinois (11-3, 2-1) returns home to face Rutgers (8-7, 1-3) in its first home game of 2026 after a 73-65 win over Penn State (9-6, 0-4) at The Palestra on Sunday. As Big Ten play truly gets underway, the Illini are starting to find more consistency on both ends of the floor and relying on contributions from their entire deep roster. Facing the Scarlet Knights will be a tough test for the Illini because of their defensive effort.
“You’ve got to match (Rutgers’) tenacity,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “That’s the way they play, and (Rutgers’ head coach Steve Pikiell’s) teams have done that year in and year out. This one’s no different.”
Relying on balanced scoring
Throughout its recent games, Illinois used the depth of its roster to be successful on the offensive end. Using this strategy has been a common theme for the Illini during the opening part of their schedule. However, Sunday’s win over Penn State proved why Illinois needs to keep relying on its balanced scoring and depth.
While freshman guard Keaton Wagler is becoming known for his consistency and maturity on the court, he found himself in foul trouble on Sunday alongside fellow freshman forward David Mirković. With the pair on the bench for longer stretches, the Illini were without two key offensive contributors. However, Illinois’ more seasoned players stepped up when needed in their absence. Senior guard Kylan Boswell and junior wing Andrej Stojaković both scored in double figures, with 18 and 12 points, respectively.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
Even with the foul trouble, the Illini’s standout freshmen still made a positive offensive impact on Sunday night. Wagler finished with 16 points and three assists while only playing 20 minutes. Mirković played one of his better games in the past couple of weeks with a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double. He also had five offensive rebounds. Illinois’ freshmen fought through the fouls and kept their heads in the game to help their team secure a tough Big Ten road win.
“(I) was impressed with our freshmen,” Underwood said. “Keaton and Mirk both were fighting foul trouble, staying in the game mentally, not getting frustrated, not giving up and just saying it’s a bad night. Hanging in there, found the ways to help our team win and be productive.”
Illinois continues to challenge opposing teams defensively because it has multiple pieces it can rely on to perform offensively, both in its starting lineup and coming off the bench. Now, as the Illini are starting the bulk of their Big Ten schedule, they can use this to their advantage even more. As opposing Big Ten teams try to target certain players in their defensive schemes, Illinois can keep finding its next option. This will be necessary against a team like Rutgers, which prides itself on beating its opponents on the defensive end.
“I tell our team all the time, we’re forcing some teams to do different things defensively against us,” Underwood said. “We’ve got to be ready to take what that looks like. Whether it’s a team that wants to get after Keaton and double him and play out of that. Whether it’s a team that’s going to rotate to (junior center Tomislav Ivišić).”
Top Scarlet Knights scorers
Although the Scarlet Knights score an average of 70.3 points per game compared to the Illini’s 87.1, they still have two high-volume scorers that the Illini need to watch out for. Junior guard Tariq Francis and sophomore forward Dylan Grant are the Scarlet Knights’ leading scorers, who are both effective inside and outside the 3-point line. The pair also know how to get to the free-throw line, with both players attempting a little over 70 free throws each so far this year.
Francis is averaging 14.9 points per game on 45.8% shooting from the field and 33.3% from three. Off the bench, the junior erupted for 30 points in Rutgers’ most recent win over Oregon, shooting 10 for 16 from the field and 10 for 11 from the free-throw line. Even at only 6-foot-1, Francis finds ways to score at all three levels. Illinois needs to use its size advantage on the perimeter to slow him down.
On the other hand, Grant stands at 6-foot-8, a bigger perimeter player who plays both inside and outside the paint. Grant averages 13.8 points per game while shooting 38.5% from three. He is also an avid offensive rebounder with 34 so far this season and consistently gets to the free-throw line. Keeping Grant off the glass is a must for the Illini to limit his productivity.
“(Rutgers’) guards are very efficient and very effective,” Underwood said. “Most importantly, they do an elite job at rebounding the ball. They’re very competitive on the glass.”
Matching Rutgers’ rebounding effort
Rebounding, both offensively and defensively, needs to be a focus for Illinois on Thursday night. While the Scarlet Knights may not have the scoring firepower that the Illini do, they compensate for it in offensive rebounding across the board.
“(Rutgers is) a team that against Ohio State had 18 offensive rebounds,” Underwood said. “I think they’re second in the country in percentage of their points coming off offensive rebounds … They’re a team that has continued to get better and improve.”
Luckily for the Illini, they played against a Nittany Lions team with a similar effort on the offensive glass that the Scarlet Knights will bring. Illinois allowed Penn State to grab 14 offensive rebounds on Sunday. For the Illini to keep the Scarlet Knights from earning extra possessions, they need to track down long rebounds and make it a point to block out on the defensive end.
“As teams shoot more and more threes, long shots equal long rebounds,” Underwood said. “You’ve got to have guards that go chase long rebounds. You can’t just stand and be a spectator … It’s one of the ways to get extra opportunities, and teams are taking advantage of that. We’ve done it for years.”
Ivišić played poorly against Penn State, scoring 0 points, grabbing one rebound and recording four fouls. The big man will need to be active on the defensive glass on Thursday. Rutgers’ senior center Emmanuel Ogbole has 47 offensive rebounds so far this season and leads the team in that category. Taking on the challenge of defending Ogbole is the perfect opportunity for Ivišić to get back to showing he can be a dominant force in the paint.
“(Ivišić) and I talked the other day, we’ve got to have more of him on the offensive glass and the defensive glass,” Underwood said. “He’s doing a great job defensively. He’s been really solid there. That’s got to continue to grow.”
Update on Rodgers
Redshirt junior guard Ty Rodgers has not played yet for the Illini this season due to a knee injury, but he is slowly starting to make his way back to the court. Per Underwood, Rodgers is participating in parts of practice, but not completing full practices yet. Rodgers is continuing to work back to full strength and make the strides to get back to playing again.
“I’m sure it’s great for his mental,” Underwood said about Rodgers getting back on the court. “You start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. There’s a lot of lonely days in the training room and doing rehab, and he’s been there every single day doing that … He’s done a great job of staying active mentally and getting through the hard stuff.”
@evy_york2
