INDIANAPOLIS – Rutgers keeper Jacob Young lost possession at the top of the key, causing a mad scramble for the ball with about seven minutes of play in the first half against Illinois in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament.
Montez Mathis had a clear path to the ball before Kofi Cockburn, Illinois’ 7-centimeter, 285-pound center, stepped in to steal it. Cockburn secured the ball and Mathis, Rutgers’ 6-4, 210-pound guard, flattened like a pancake when an official blew his whistle.
Foul on Rutgers.
An early knockout for Illinois.
Want to bet on College Basketball?
Get free bets, risk-free betting and enhanced odds offers from the best licensed NJ sports betting sites.
See the best NJ sports sites
Note: State law prohibits commitment to NJ university teams
Rutgers was not a match for the country’s number 3 team in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament on Friday night, falling 90-68 here at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“We did not play well,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. Illinois deserves to win. They have today as the no. 1-team equal. ‘
Illinois (21-6) achieved a wire-to-wire triumph, leading the last 29 minutes with double figures on its way to taking a 91-88 setback on December 20 at the hands of the Scarlet Knights.
For Rutgers, Ron Harper Jr. scored. 21 points – disappears the 1,000-point plateau for his career in the process – and Geo Baker finishes with 10 points.
Ayo Dosunmu led all scorers with 23 points and Cockburn finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds for Illinois.
It was a totally different result than the first outing in Piscataway 82 days ago. In one, Rutgers came on the line only 36 times and converted 25 free throws for a 69.4% conversion rate. Illinois beat with an 11-for-15 series (73.3%), prompting coach Brad Underwood to say no team ‘on the road’ will win with a 21-yard free throw. ‘
Rutgers was charged with 24 personal fouls, and Illinois conceded 21 of 31 free kicks. Rutgers attempted 22 free throws, which converted a 72.7% cut.
“We’ve had some really bad problems,” Pikiell said. “I thought we had slipped back into it, got within 12, but couldn’t get over the hill.”
Rutgers knocked down Illinois, now the country’s fourth best bouncing team, 35-34 in its December victory. On Friday night, the Illini scored a huge margin of 44-19.
It was Rutgers’ most unequivocal defeat since a 23-point setback in Michigan State on Jan. 5.
Illinois has won for the 16th time in 19 games since falling to Rutgers.
The Illini advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, where they will meet Iowa or Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon.
Rutgers started the fifth game in a row slowly and fell behind 9-0 after passing four times during the first three minutes.
Rutgers’ first basket came three minutes, 29 seconds into the game, with the permission of Myles Johnson. The Scarlet Knights then wake up and use a 9-2 run, concluded by a conventional three-point play by Jacob Young, to pull within two points.
But errors became a problem for Rutgers, who committed his seventh offense to land in the bonus eight minutes, 30 seconds into the game.
Johnson and Cliff Omoruyi each had two fouls during the period, meaning Rutgers was without the services of his two top players for most of the first half.
That was no good news, as Rutgers had to defend Cockburn, a likely NBA pick in the first round, a nightmare for Mamadou Doucoure, a third series.
Illinois took advantage by shooting 54.8% off the field thanks to 26 points in the paint and dominating the boards to a 22-8 advantage in the first half.
Trent Frazier’s buzzer jumper gave Illinois its biggest lead in the first half – 47-28 – at halftime.
Rutgers were never closer than 12 points in the second half.
Rutgers will now wait for the fate of the NCAA Tournament, a virtual lock to see his name appear in brackets for the first time in thirty years.
Only seven days ago, the Scarlet Knights apparently had to win in Minnesota to secure themselves a big offer for the big dance. They just did it and swore an overtime win over the Gophers before confirming their case with a Big Ten Tournament’s second round over Indiana.
Most bracketologists tied Rutgers as a seed of 8, 9, or 10. ESPN.com ranked Rutgers as a 9-ranked, matching Loyola-Chicago in a region that ranked Baylor the best.
Rutgers’ resume includes a record of 15-11, a 10-10 mark in Big Ten play that was good enough for a draw for 6th place in the country’s toughest conference and a 5-8 record against Quad 1 enemies.
The NCAA Tournament kicks off on Friday, March 19 here in Indianapolis. The Scarlet Knights will not return to Piscataway, but will train in an Indiana gym in preparation for their first-round opponent.
Like the rest of the Big Ten’s likely contenders for the NCAA Tournament, the Scarlet Knights are expected to be under strict COVID-19 social restrictions from this weekend.
They will probably watch the tournament’s Selection Show together in their team hotel.
Thank you for trusting us to provide the journalism you can trust. Consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.
Keith Sargeant can be reached at [email protected]. Tell us your coronavirus story or send us a tip here.