It will be a a defensive battle between two of the Big Ten’s top scoring defenses when the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-16) play against the Illinois Fighting Illini (10-12). The game starts at 6:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 3 and will air on BTN.
The Scarlet Knights lost big to Michigan State 96-62 on Sunday. Omari Grier was one of the best players for the Scarlet Knights, contributing 17 points, one steal, and one assist. The Fighting Illini, meanwhile, are coming off a 63-55 loss at the hands of Wisconsin on Sunday. Malcolm Hill led the game in scoring with 22 points.
Points at the line might be difficult to come by for the Scarlet Knights in this contest. They are 280th in the nation in FTA rate (32.8), while Illinois is among the nation’s least foul-prone teams (allowing a FTA rate of just 26.3, 18th in the country). The Fighting Illini should also expect to protect the ball well. They rank fourth at avoiding errors (TO% of 14.6%). Conversely, the Scarlet Knights force the 45th-fewest turnovers in the nation (opponents’ TO% of 16.5%).
The Scarlet Knights have gone 6-16 Straight Up (SU) and 8-9 Against The Spread (ATS).
As for their opponent, the Fighting Illini head into the game with records of 7-10-3 ATS and 10-12 SU. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Fighting Illini. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the country at 1.33.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time Rutgers and Illinois played, Illinois won, bringing its SU record to 2-0. Furthermore, with a 2-0 record, Illinois has the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ill, ATS Winner – Ill
Notes
Rutgers is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Rutgers’s last 10 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Rutgers’s last 5 games at home.
While Illinois is struggling at 2-7 against the Big Ten, Rutgers remains winless at 0-9 SU.
Rutgers averages 70.7 possessions per game, scoring .949 points on each possession. While Illinois averages fewer possessions per game with 69.7, they score more points per possession with 1.046.
The Illinois Fighting Illini average an effective field goal percentage of 50.0% this season. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have an abysmal record of 1-12 when opponents have an eFG% of 50.0% or greater.
Rutgers attempts an average of 16.0 three pointers per game and Illinois attempts 22.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights are winless at 0-2 while the Illinois Fighting Illini have a 5-7 record.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights average 5.9 steals per game. When allowing 5 or more steals, the Illinois Fighting Illini are an even 6-6 this season.
