Rutgers Dominated By No. 16 Illinois, 81-55 - Recap
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The Rutgers Scarlet Knights were outplayed throughout the game by the Illinois Fighting Illini and fell 81-55 on Thursday night.
The Scarlet Knights only had two players in double figures. Guard Kaden Powers led the team with 12 points. Harun Zrno added 11 points. Rutgers made just 36 percent from the field and made just 6 of their 22 three-pointers.
Tomislav Ivisic was very confident and nonstop for Illinois. He scored 14 points and knocked down two threes.
Illinois had the hot hand from the three-point line, and they dominated in the paint. Illinois outscored Rutgers 26-18 in the paint. When Illinois went on a 20-0 run, there was no coming back for Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights' defense had no answer for Illinois. Another problem for the Scarlet Knights is that they got too much into foul trouble. The team had 20 personal fouls. Illinois only had eight fouls. It shows that Illinois was the most disciplined team in this game. They didn’t try to do too much and were totally focused on making the right decisions and plays.
Basketball can be so fulfilling to watch when you don’t see many fouls. There’s nothing like a good, professional game by sticking to good defense and being respectful. We wish that could’ve been Rutgers tonight.
The Scarlet Knights committed so many unnecessary fouls, and that’s something they need to fix for their next game. Free throws are very crucial in a basketball game. Rutgers was awful from the line. They made just 37 percent. Illinois, on the other hand, made 85 percent of its free throws. Illinois also won the rebound game (40-31).
It is one of the worst performances of the season for the Scarlet Knights. There was no urgency, no aggressiveness against this outstanding Illinois team. However, we do need to give Illinois' defense a lot of credit.
In the meantime, Rutgers needed to make a statement in this game, and they failed to do so. We saw a team that took its foot off the gas or was still thinking about its last game against Oregon.
When the Scarlet Knights are locked in, they can be an excellent team, and the record would be much better. The Scarlet Knights fall to 8-8. Illinois improved to 12-3 and 3-1 in conference play.
Rutgers will return home for its next game against Northwestern on Sunday at 5 pm. It’s a must-win game for the team. The Scarlet Knights will try to avoid going below .500.
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Miguel Mike Medina is a Writer and Freelance Sports Journalist who contributes to Rutgers On SI. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Creative Writing and a Minor in Journalism in 2014 from City College of New York.