Rutgers Earns First Ranked Win of the Season over No. 23 Illinois
Rutgers men’s basketball enjoyed a massive 82-73 victory over No. 23 ranked Illinois on Wednesday night at Jersey Mike’s Arena that not only put Rutgers back over the .500 mark…
PISCATAWAY, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 6: Dylan Harper #2 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights celebrates after their win over the Wagner Seahawks at Jersey Mike’s Arena on November 6, 2024 in Piscataway, New Jersey.
(Photo by Ed Mulholland/Getty Images)Rutgers men's basketball enjoyed a massive 82-73 victory over No. 23 ranked Illinois on Wednesday night at Jersey Mike's Arena that not only put Rutgers back over the .500 mark for the year but created a much clearer path the the Big Ten Tournament.
Freshman sensation Dylan Harper led the way with 28 points after having not played in a game since January 25 due to injury. Harper's heroics were key in Rutgers earning its first win against a ranked opponent this season.
"I mean before he got the flu he was the best guard in the country. We struggle without him at times. To have him back, rebounds, steals, assists. All the things he does for us. He helps Ace, and Ace helps him. Jeremiah too, to have him back from the flu helped out too," Head Coach Steve Pikiell said.
Rutgers jumped out to a 23-6 lead before Illinois stormed back to cut the Rutgers lead to eight heading into the break.
Grant Dylan helped Rutgers push its lead to 11 behind his three-pointer and a slam dunk in the opening stages of the second half. However, Illinois just wouldn't go away.
The Illini narrowed the Scarlet Knight lead to just one point before Ben Humrichous connected on a jumper to put Illinois out in front 48-47 with 13 minutes to play.
The game would be a back-and-forth affair until Harper nailed a three-pointer that gave the Scarlet Knights a 66-62 lead with 6:34 to go. A minute later Harper connected on a lay-up to give RU a 69-65 lead. Jeremiah Williams joined the party with a handful of layups of his own to help Rutgers build an eight-point lead as the seconds started ticking away.
"We got to stay healthy. We got another ranked team coming up. All the teams are good in our league. In our league we beat each other up," Pikiell added.
The victory pushes Rutgers back up to 13th place in the Big Ten, meaning that if the tournament started today Rutgers would play Indiana in the opening game of the tournament. Of course, we got a long way to go.
