Illinois Fighting Illini vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/16/2022

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Venue:  Jersey Mike’s Arena, Piscataway, NJ

Where to Watch:  Big Ten Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Illinois -4.5, Rutgers +4.5; Over/Under:  133.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Illinois -4.5, Rutgers +4.5; Over/Under:  133.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Illinois -4.5, Rutgers +4.5; Over/Under:  133.5 points

 

Illinois Fighting Illini:  18-6 (1st place, Big Ten)

Rutgers Scarlet Knights:  15-9 (6th place, Big Ten)

 

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Illinois Fighting Illini:  4-1 last 5

Rutgers Scarlet Knights:  4-1 last 5

 

 

 

Illinois is coming into this game with an 18-6 record overall and they are 5-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 15th conference matchup of the year and they are currently 11-3 in their conference games this season. They have won 5 of their last 6 games and are coming into this one off of a win in their last game. Their last loss was against the Purdue Boilermakers while their 5 wins in that span came against the Michigan State Spartans, the Northwestern Wildcats, the Wisconsin Badgers, the Indiana Hoosiers, and Northwestern again in their last game. Kofi Cockburn and Alfonso Plummer both led the team in points in that game with 19 each while RJ Melendez was next on the team off the bench with 14 points. Trent Frazier led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Cockburn led the team in rebounds with 15. They were 43.1% from the field, 34.5% from 3-point range, and 68.4% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 76.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 66.3 PPG against them. Illinois has an ATS record of 11-13 this season and their O/U record is 14-10.

 

 

Rutgers is coming into this game with a 15-9 record overall and they are 12-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 15th conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 9-5 in their conference games this season. They have won 4 of their last 5 games and are coming into this one on a 3 game winning streak after another win in their last game. Their last loss was against the Northwestern Wildcats while their 4 wins in that span came against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Michigan State Spartans, the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the Wisconsin Badgers in their last game. Ron Harper Jr. led the team in points in that game with 21 while Paul Mulcahy was next on the team with 18 points. Mulcahy led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Clifford Omoruyi led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 51% from the field, 58.3% from 3-point range, and 88.9% from the free throw line with their shots this season. Their offense is averaging 68.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 64.8 PPG against them. Rutgers has an ATS record of 11-12-1 this season and their O/U record is 14-10.

 

Rutgers is coming into this game gaining a lot of steam in their last few games. They have already been having a pretty good season with an upset win over number 1 Purdue at the time of that win and that was the first time they had even upset a number 1 team in the nation. They have been improving a lot over the season and now they are heating up even more coming into this game as they have something again that they have never done before in program history. They have won 3 straight games and this is the first time that Rutgers has ever won against 3 straight ranked opponents. They have beaten MSU, OSU, and now Wisconsin in their last game and they have been very good at home this season with a 12-2 record there. They are going up against an Illinois side that is currently leading the conference with an 11-3 record in conference games but they have only been alright on the road this season with a 5-3 record. They have not been playing their best in their last 2 games either. They are coming off of a loss against Purdue and then followed that up with a win at home against Northwestern in their last game but only by 7 points. Rutgers is heating up right now and they are not a team to step in front of with the way they have been playing recently, especially when playing at home. Illinois is going to struggle against them on the road here and Rutgers will be looking to make it 4 straight wins over ranked opponents. Rutgers will be motivated to make a statement here and should win this game by a few points.

 

Illinois Rutgers Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Wednesday, February 16, 2022 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Rutgers 73 Illinois 68.

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Illinois Fighting Illini: 33-24 ATS against conference opponents. 136-95 UNDER in road games. 28-17 UNDER in a road game where the total is 130 to 134.5.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights: 1-8 ATS off 3 straight wins against conference rivals. 27-18 UNDER after successfully covering the spread in 3 or more consecutive games. 19-12 UNDER revenging a loss vs opponent.

 

 

Illinois Fighting Illini:  A. Hutcherson (G) out for season - Hernia injury.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights:  None.

 

 

“My style of play has grown a lot. Just being with the vets every time in practice, just going at it with them, guarding them. I know it’s going to make me better. Getting all the knowledge I can, getting the little stuff that they have learned for the past five years, four years, like Trent, has been amazing. I’ve grown a lot as a player mentally and physically with Fletch [Adam Fletcher] in the weight room.” - RJ Melendez after their win against Northwestern.

 

 

“We are real resilient. We knew that today wasn't going to be an easy game. I feel like we fought the adversity well and executed the game plan. We are playing teams in the top half of the Big Ten right now, and we like it that way. We know what kind of team we are, and we are just going to keep fighting.” - Ron Harper Jr. on their win against Wisconsin.

 

 

 

K. Cockburn

T. Frazier 

J. Grandison 

A. Plummer

D. Williams

 

Geo Baker 

R. Harper 

C. McConnell 

P. Mulcahy 

C. Omoruyi

 

 

PPG: K. Cockburn (21.5)

APG: T. Frazier (4)

Reb/G: K. Cockburn (11.4)

 

PPG: R. Harper Jr. (15.7)

APG: P. Mulcahy (5.4)

Reb/G: C. Omoruyi (7.9)

 

Coaches:

Illinois Fighting Illini: Brad Underwood (5th season)

Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Steve Pikiell (6th season)