PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's basketball returns to Jersey Mike's Arena on Wednesday night for a late tipoff against No. 23/25 Illinois. The Scarlet Knights and Fighting Illini play at 8:30 pm on Wednesday on Big Ten Network, with Jeff Levering and Robbie Hummel on the call.
The Scarlet Knights enter the game with an 11-11 overall record and a 4-7 conference record, and 8-3 record at home. RU is 3-3 in the past six games.
Rutgers is one of just five schools in the nation to have at least five freshmen currently averaging 7 minutes or more per game. Rutgers, the lone Big Ten team on the list, is joined by Detroit Mercy (6), South Dakota State (6), Tartelton State (6) and TCU (5). Rutgers has two freshmen averaging at least 31 minutes (
Ace Bailey and
Dylan Harper) and they are joined by
Lathan Sommerville (20.4 mpg),
Dylan Grant (16.2 mpg) and
Bryce Dortch (8.3 mpg). Rutgers five freshmen average 44.2 points per team game, only behind Duke (49.8) nationally.
Last time out, RU was edged by just three points, falling 66-63 to the Michigan Wolverines. The Scarlet Knights were led by a career-high 20 points from
Jamichael Davis, who shot 4-of-7 from three-point range, adding four steals and two assists. It was Davis' career-high in made three-pointers as well, and posted his first game this season with 10+ points against a Big Ten team.
Tyson Acuff added 14 points, reaching double-figures for the fourth time in the past nine games. Defensively, RU forced Michigan into 17 turnovers, their most in a Big Ten game this season. It also marked RU's fewest points allowed in a Big Ten game this season.
In conference play,
Ace Bailey is second in the league at 21.0 points per game. As a team, RU is third in the league with 11.8 offensive rebounds per game in conference games, and fifth with 7.9 three-pointers made per game.
Ace Bailey has the two highest scoring games in Big Ten play this season (39 at Indiana, 37 at Northwestern). He's made 13 field goals in a league game three times, while the rest of the conference has only done it three times. He has three games this season of 30+ points and 10 games of 20+ points.
Bailey and
Dylan Harper each have two games this season with 36+ points. Only one other freshmen this season has scored 36+ points in a game this season (Cooper Flagg, 42 points vs. Notre Dame). They are the only pair of two freshmen from the same team to score 36 or more points in a game twice in a season since 2004. The only players to have 3 or more games of 36+ points since 2004 are Michael Beasley (2007-08, four times, Kansas State), Kevin Durant (2006-07, four times, Texas), Rodney Stuckey (2005-06, three times, Eastern Washington) and Trae Young (2017-18, five times, Oklahoma). Harper is one of 10 finalists for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year award and he and Bailey are both on the Midseason List for the National Player of the Year Award (Oscar Robertson Trophy)
RU, who has never averaged more than 69 points per game under head coach
Steve Pikiell is averaging 76.0 points per game this season. Rutgers has averaged over 76.5 points per game just 14 times in the school's 111-year history (and not since 1992-92). The last time RU averaged over even 70 points per game was 2013-14 (71.1 ppg). RU has averaged over 70 points per game for a full season just that one time since the start of the 2001-02 season.
Ace Bailey (404 points) surpassed Hollis Copeland last game and is just eight points behind Quincy for entering the top-four of all RU true freshmen scorers.
Dylan Harper (354 points) stands just one point behind Ricky Shields and four points behind Baker.
Rutgers True Freshmen Season Scoring Leaders: Total Points
- Mike Rosario (08-09): 517
- Phil Sellers (72-73): 506
- Corey Sanders (15-16): 430
- Quincy Douby (03-04): 412
- Ace Bailey (24-25): 404
- Hollis Copeland (74-75): 395
- Geo Baker (17-18): 358
- Ricky Shields (01-02): 355
- Dylan Harper (24-25): 354
Illinois enters the game with a 15-7 overall record and are 7-5 in league play. After starting 12-3 overall and 4-1 in the first five conference games, Illinois is just 3-4 since Jan. 8. Of the team's seven losses, four of them have come away from home, and they are just 3-3 in true road games compared to 10-3 at home.
As a team, Illinois leads the nation in both rebounds (45.5 per game) and rebound margin (+11.7). Offensively, the squad is seventh in the country in scoring offense (85.3) and 13
th in scoring margin, outscoring foes by 14.9 points per game, having scored 70 games in all but two games this season, and at least 72 in the past 12 games since a 66-64 loss to then-No. 1 on Dec. 14.
The Illini are also among the top-three teams in the league in three-pointers per game (9.6), three-point defense (29.4%), free throw attempts (23.7 per game), field goal percentage defense (39.5) and bench points (27.73).
The Illini have four players that average between 11 and 16 points per game (Kasparas Jakucionis – 15.6, Tomislav Ivisic – 12.9, Kylan Boswell – 12.1 and Will Riley – 11.0. Ivisic is sixth in the league at 8.6 rebounds per game and have 8 double-doubles (fourth in the league). Jakucionis is fifth in the league at 5.5 assists per game
This will be the 17th lifetime meeting between the two programs. RU has four wins in the all-time series and has claimed three wins in the past seven matchups. The Scarlet Knights won three of four games in a stretch between 2020 and 2022.
This will be the seventh time in the last nine meetings that Illinois enters the matchup in the national rankings. Rutgers has previously claimed ranked wins over Illinois with them ranked No. 12 (2/16/22), No. 13 (12/20/20) and No. 22 (2/15/20).
Rutgers lost a pair of games to Illinois last season. RU fell 86-63 on the road in January, and dropped a 76-58 decision in December.
- Fifth all-time win over Illinois, with four wins in the past eight games
- 50th ranked win lifetime
- 17th ranked win under head coach Steve Pikiell
After two straight games back at Jersey Mike's Arena, RU returns to the road next weekend for a game at No. 18/24 Maryland on Feb. 9. That is followed by a return home, with Iowa visiting on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
