How to Watch: Illinois Basketball at Rutgers (Game 23)

The Illini seek to put together back-to-back wins for the first time in nearly a month

Feb 2, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) drives the ball past Ohio State Buckeyes guard John Mobley Jr. (0) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

How to Watch

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

Odds and Ends

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

2️⃣3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/pd5HXac0fO

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) February 3, 2025

Smart-Fan Stuff

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:

• The Scarlet Knights are led by the best 1-2 freshman punch in the nation: Ace Bailey (20.2 points per game) and Dylan Harper (18.6). Both Bailey and Harper are three-level scorers with the ability to single-handedly carry Rutgers to a win – which Bailey did just two games ago in a 37-point performance against Northwestern. Harper, who is questionable for Wednesday because of a high-ankle sprain, has done the same, pouring in 36 in an overtime win against Notre Dame (and then 37 days later against Alabama).

• Although Rutgers isn't the most high-volume long-distance-shooting team in the conference, it still tends to live and die by the three. Having shot above 30 percent from deep in each of their Big Ten wins, the Scarlet Knights face a tall task against an Illini defense that ranks in the NCAA's top 10 in three-point-shooting defense (29.4 percent).

Illinois on SI Prediction

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

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

WATCH: Illinois Guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn's 'Holy Balls of Wax' Dunk

Should Illinois Even Be Ranked? Struggling Illini at No. 23 in New AP Top 25

Illinois Basketball's Will Riley Rises With a Stronger Focus on the Rim