Coming in on a nine game win streak, Rutgers was slow in establishing itself against the visiting Illini. But once the Knights got rolling, it was a steady extension of the lead, giving the Knights a resounding 76-37 Big Ten victory. The Knights go to 15-2, 3-0 B1G, while Illinois falls to 9-8, 0-3.
The win was C. Vivian Stringer’s 992nd win as a head coach.
The RU defense has turned up the pressure this season and currently leads the Big Ten in scoring defense holding opponents to just 54.7 points per game. In this game, Illinois controlled the opening tip, but Rutgers made a statement on its first two defensive stands, forcing Illinois to take almost the entire shot clock and coming away with no points.