Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Illinois Fighting Illini
· NCAA Men's Basketball
Keaton Wagler scores 17, No. 16 Illinois defeats Rutgers 81-55
Andrej Stojakovic had 12 points and eight rebounds, Jake Davis scored a dozen points and David Mirkovich grabbed eight rebounds for the Illini (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten), who won their fourth straight.
Illinois was 18 of 21 at the free-throw line. The Illini lead the Big Ten and are No. 3 in the country in free-throw percentage.
Kaden Powers scored 12 points and Harun Zrno had 11 points for Rutgers (8-8, 1-4).
Illinois went on a 20-0 run in the final 7 1/2 minutes of the first half and led 43-16 at halftime. Davis scored all 12 of his points on four 3-pointers in the first half, just four fewer points than the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers shot 21% from the floor in the opening half (6 of 28) including 2 of 13 on 3s and was 2 of 6 on free throws.
Tariq Francis, Rutgers' leading scorer, had an off night. He scored six points on 3 of 10 shooting while playing just 17 minutes after averaging 25 points in the Scarlet Knights' previous four games.
Francis has had two 30-point games this season. He's the only Big Ten player in the last 10 seasons with multiple 30-point games off the bench in the same season.
Illinois improved to 9-0 at home vs. Rutgers, 8-0 in Big Ten games since the Scarlet Knights joined the conference in 2015. The Illini are 14-5 overall against Rutgers, although the teams split their previous eight games.
Illinois: Plays Sunday at No. 19 Iowa.
How can I watch Rutgers vs. Illinois?
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 55 - 81 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 55 - 81 |
| 2nd 0:00 | Brandon Lee Defensive Rebound. | 55 - 81 |
| 2nd 0:00 | Jamichael Davis misses 26-foot three point jumper | 55 - 81 |
| 2nd 0:01 | Denis Badalau Offensive Rebound. | 55 - 81 |
Statistics
 RUTG |
 ILL |
|
|---|---|---|
| 23-63 | FG | 26-59 |
| 37 | Field Goal % | 44 |
| 6-22 | 3PT | 11-31 |
| 27 | Three Point % | 35 |
| 3-8 | FT | 18-21 |
| 38 | Free Throw % | 86 |
| 32 | Rebounds | 45 |
| 9 | Offensive Rebounds | 12 |
| 23 | Defensive Rebounds | 33 |
| 8 | Assists | 13 |
| 5 | Steals | 2 |
| 5 | Blocks | 5 |
| 7 | Turnovers | 7 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 7 | Total Turnovers | 7 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 7 | Points Off Turnovers | 11 |
| 8 | Fast Break Points | 2 |
| 18 | Points in Paint | 26 |
| 20 | Fouls | 8 |
| 3 | Largest Lead | 27 |
| 1 | Lead Change | 1 |
| 2 | Percent Led | 95 |
Game Information
Location: Champaign, IL
Attendance: 13,190 | Capacity:
2025-26 Big Ten Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 11-1 | - | 20-3 |
| Michigan | 10-1 | 0.5 | 20-1 |
| Nebraska | 9-2 | 1.5 | 20-2 |
| Michigan State | 9-3 | 2 | 19-4 |
| Purdue | 8-3 | 2.5 | 18-4 |
| Wisconsin | 8-3 | 2.5 | 16-6 |
| UCLA | 8-4 | 3 | 16-7 |
| Iowa | 7-4 | 3.5 | 17-5 |
| Ohio State | 6-5 | 4.5 | 14-7 |
| USC | 6-6 | 5 | 17-6 |
| Indiana | 6-6 | 5 | 15-8 |
| Washington | 4-8 | 7 | 12-11 |
| Minnesota | 4-8 | 7 | 11-12 |
| Northwestern | 2-10 | 9 | 10-13 |
| Rutgers | 2-10 | 9 | 9-14 |
| Maryland | 1-9 | 9 | 8-13 |
| Penn State | 1-10 | 9.5 | 10-12 |
| Oregon | 1-10 | 9.5 | 8-14 |