No. 16 Illinois (12-3, 3-1) returned to State Farm Center and secured its first Big Ten home victory of the season, defeating Rutgers (8-8, 1-4) 81-55 on Thursday night. The talent level of the Illini’s starting lineup was too much for the Scarlet Knights as it dominated the game in every way necessary for the Illini to pull out a win. 

Four Illini finished the contest in double-figures with freshman guard Keaton Wagler leading the way, scoring 17 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Junior wing Andrej Stojaković also had a near double-double with 12 points and eight rebounds. Overall, Illinois did everything that they needed to do to limit Rutgers on both ends of the floor. 

Playing through physicality 

Going into Thursday’s contest, handling Rutgers’ physical style of defense was a focus in practice. As expected, the Scarlet Knights applied plenty of ball pressure on the perimeter and tried to make it difficult for Illinois to get into an offensive rhythm. However, Illinois wasn’t fazed by this and didn’t back down, showing that what it does in practice translates into the games. 

“(Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell) recruits great athletes,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “He gets them to play really, really hard. I thought our guys handled it, but we spent a couple days preparing for it too.” 

In the first half, the Illini only committed two turnovers against an aggressive Scarlet Knights defense. Instead of succumbing to the pressure of traps and body checks, Illinois’ offense remained patient. It moved the ball to speed up Rutgers’ defense and played unselfishly to find the best, open option. The Illini also used the Scarlet Knights’ physicality to get fouled which included multiple and-one opportunities from Wagler. 

Although the Illini had five turnovers in the second half, including back-to-back possessions with turnovers which Underwood called a timeout for, they mostly remained composed when the Scarlet Knights wanted to speed them up. Illinois proved once again that it can take care of the ball in the full and half court. Not turning the ball over is a small detail that will only become more important for the Illini down the road. 

Defense leads to offense 

For the second game in a row, Illinois was able to build an early lead in the first half which helped it separate itself from Rutgers for the remainder of the contest. What led to that lead on Thursday night, though, was effort on the defensive end. Illinois held Rutgers to 21.4% shooting from the field and 16 points in the first half while it shot 47.1%. 

For the final eight minutes of the half, the Illini went on a 20-0 run, where they used their defense to fuel their offensive production. Not one player took over, but rather all five Illinois players on the court found ways to contribute. Whether that was Stojaković getting a defensive rebound and scoring in the open floor or senior guard Kylan Boswell dishing to junior center Tomislav Ivišić down low, the Illini didn’t lack offensive options. 

“That’s what’s so great about this team is that you have to play us one-on-one,” said Stojaković. “With our size, with our spacing, our chemistry, it’s hard to beat us.” 

Defending without fouling also benefited Illinois all throughout Thursday night. Not one Illini committed more than two fouls, a drastic difference when they played the Penn State Nittany Lions earlier this week. In recent games, Rutgers worked hard to get to the free throw line, but Illinois shut that down, limiting it to only eight attempts. Even with the attempts the Scarlet Knights got, they didn’t convert, shooting 37.5% from the charity stripe. 

Illini starters take charge

Other than another solid performance from junior forward Jake Davis, Illinois’ starting five controlled the outcome of this game from both an offensive and defensive standpoint. There’s no doubt that each one of the Illini starters have had nights where they took over a game. Yet now, the Illini are proving just how dangerous they can be when all their key pieces play well on the same night. 

“I think the beauty of this team is six guys in double figures or close to it,” Underwood said. “Just not knowing that it’s going to come from someone different every night … I love that as a coach. I couldn’t be any more happy and pleased with how that’s working out.” 

Three out of the five Illini starters scored in double figures with each of them grabbing four or more rebounds. Notably, Tomislav Ivišić had one of his better performances as of recent, scoring 14 points and recording four rebounds. Most importantly, Ivišić played well on the defensive by blocking out and contesting shots in the paint which kept Rugters senior center Emmanuel Ogbole off the boards and Rugters’ guards from scoring. 

“Tomi’s a big reason why I chose to come here,” Stojaković said. “Just a big that can space the floor. So talented offensively, but also just a beast on the defensive side … Having someone that tall to contest shots, it’s huge and especially when he gets going is very important for us.” 

Spark from Davis 

In his 21 minutes of play Thursday night, Davis brought energy, communication and leadership. His spark off the bench included 12 points, made up of four threes, and three rebounds. Over the course of the past few games, Davis not only is getting recognition for his 3-point shot, but also the other little things he does to make the Illini successful that people may not notice. 

“(Davis) doesn’t need the ball,” Underwood said. “He doesn’t want the ball except to shoot it. He doesn’t demand the ball. So, he does everything else at an elite level. His screening, his blurs, his pace that he runs. He’s got an unbelievable knack of going full speed and being able to square up and shoot it.” 

While Illinois has multiple high volume scorers on its roster who can take over a game at any point in time, Davis supplements that by being a leader on both offense and defense. The junior is constantly communicating with his teammates and is a huge reason why the Illini defense is in a solid place as of late. If Davis can keep performing at this level, he will only make Illinois more of a threat in a loaded Big Ten Conference. 

“If everybody knows what’s happening and what they need to do, especially as a team, it leads to making the right plays,” said Davis. “Doing the right things defensively, which leads to better defense obviously.” 

Dominated rebounding battle 

Another key to securing a victory over the Scarlet Knights was for the Illini to win the rebounding battle, both offensive and defensive. Illinois was able to do just that on Thursday night and it led to a good outcome. The Illini held the Scarlet Knights to 32 rebounds and only nine offensive, while they secured 45 rebounds with 12 of those being offensive. 

Guard rebounding was a specific focus for Illinois in this matchup, especially on the defensive end. Rutgers shot plenty of threes, so tracking down those long rebounds needed to be done by Illinois’ guards. The Illini guards didn’t disappoint in rebounding with Stojaković grabbing eight, Wagler with seven and Boswell with five. The guards’ size advantage was evident and Illinois capitalized by rebounding. 

In particular, Stojaković has become a more consistent rebounder since joining the Illini this season. With his athleticism and size, he’s able to grab defensive rebounds and get downhill in the open floor, adding another layer to his already talented skillset. 

“Part of the process of transferring schools, roles adjust and rebounding is a great way for me to find my rhythm,” Stojaković said. “Just keep trying to get better on both sides of the floor, on the glass and go from there.” 

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