Rutgers Basketball notched its first ranked win of the season on Wednesday night, taking down No. 23 Illinois 82-73 at Jersey Mike's Arena in Dylan Harper's return from an ankle injury.
Despite giving up a 17-point first-half lead, the Scarlet Knights (12-11, 5-7) held off the Fighting Illini (15-8, 7-6) in the final minutes for their first ranked win in 361 days.
Here are five takeaways from the win.
JOIN TODAY AND GET 30 DAYS FREE! | THE ROUND TABLE FORUM | RUTGERS FOOTBALL 2025 RECRUITING CLASS | RUTGERS HOOPS RECRUITING
1. Harper's Return Provides a Spark
The Five-Star freshman's status had been up in the air coming into the game, with high ankle sprains being among the more tricky injuries to manage. After injuring it initially against Penn State on January 20th and trying to give it a go at Madison Square Garden on January 25th, Harper missed the next two games and was listed as questionable coming into the matchup against Illinois.
He looked like his usual self, scoring a game-high 28 points with six rebounds, five assists, and four steals in 34 minutes, while also shooting 11-for-12 from the free throw line. He also provided some key defense on a talented Illinois backcourt, with Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, Kylan Boswell, and Kasparas Jakucionis combining for 19 points on 8-for-24 shooting.
Harper's steadiness on offense was especially prevalent in his return, especially when he left the floor. Late in the first half, Rutgers' offense grew stagnant with Harper on the bench and it showed in the box score with a team-best +11 mark in the first half.
"It felt great being back with my teammates," he said after the game. "Everyone played a big part in me coming back, they put me in the right spot, the coaching staff trusted me, it was great to be back out there."
The Scarlet Knights' offense needs Harper at his best for the rest of the season if they want to make a late run, and performances like Wednesday's was a tremendous start.
2. Ace Bailey Battles the Illini... and Another Challenger?
With Harper back in the fold, Ace Bailey was able to slide back to a more spot-up focused role on offense and continued to show his growth on defense. He finished with his seventh double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds, with five coming on the offensive glass.
While Harper took over much of the on-ball offensive duties, Bailey still did his part with an array of off-balance jumpers and dunks. That included one play in transition where referee Jeffrey Anderson got caught out of position as Bailey nearly crashed into him and still got a floater to fall.
Most impressive for Bailey, however, was his effort on defense and rebounding. He blocked another three shots, using his wingspan and jumping ability to impact the Illini on offense. Early in the first half, Bailey stretched out to block a three-pointer from Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, sprinted down the floor as Jamichael Davis corralled the rebound, and found himself wide open for a thunderous dunk to push Rutgers' lead to 13-4.
"I'm 6'10!" Bailey said after the game. "Athletic 6'10, go get a rebound. I ain't got nothing else to do, go get a rebound. Shot goes up, I know when one of my teammates shoots the ball... just go get the rebound."
With Harper and Bailey both at their best, Rutgers has a true two-way presence in Bailey thanks to his length and tenacity on defense and rebounding.
3. Bookend Defense Seals the Win
Rutgers was able to hang on in the end after the Illini fought back and turned it into a back-and-forth game, but the Scarlet Knights' defense to start and end the game helped seal the victory.
In the opening 10 minutes, Illinois looked completely out of sorts offensively, thanks to some sloppy ballhandling leading to open-floor turnovers and ice-cold shooting. Despite a thin Scarlet Knights frontcourt, the Illini insisted on creating their offense from the perimeter, shooting just 2-for-17 in the first half.
Late in the first and for most of the second half, Illinois adjusted and starting targeting the paint for more of its offense. It paid off, as the Illini started 14-for-20 from the floor while rebounding all six of its misses as they fought back to take the lead.
The well eventually dried up late, as the Scarlet Knights walled up at the rim and Illinois started taking more and more jumpers, being held to one field goal over the final four minutes of the game - all of them jump shots and the last five shots being three-pointers as Rutgers took the lead back.
“I watched all the tape of them," Scarlet Knights head coach Steve Pikiell said after the game. "They average 86 points per game so they score against everybody. Whenever you have a 7’1 guy that can step out and make threes. We did a really good job on a lot of their players and down the stretch we were able to lock in and execute on offense and get those big stops. It was all about rebounds and we were even with them on the backboards. That was a huge key for us.”
At arguably the most important parts of the game - the beginning and end - Rutgers' defense forced Illinois to shoot, an aspect of the Illini's offense that has struggled greatly.
4. Navigating Foul Trouble, Frontcourt Depth
The Scarlet Knights' frontcourt and its depth had been an issue even before Emmanuel Ogbole was lost for the year due to injury, and that problem reared its head once again in taking on the Illini.
Illinois boasted a strong frontcourt led by Tomislav Ivisic and Morez Johnson Jr. and also got 14 points from Ben Humrichous. Much of the Illini's run to get back in the game and eventually take the lead was thanks to dominating the paint and the glass. Illinois finished with 18 offensive rebounds - 10 in the second half - and went 14-for-22 on layups with 30 points in the paint.
Lathan Sommerville eventually fouled out with 1:48 to play and battled foul trouble throughout, as did Bryce Dortch with four fouls. Dylan Grant did not have his best, leaving Pikiell to find a way to rotate through his forwards and keep the Scarlet Knights in the game. The rotation of Martini, Sommerville, Grant, and Dortch did just enough to put Rutgers in position to close the game out.
It eventually worked out in the end as the Illini were forced to go back to their jumper-heavy offensive approach late in the game and the Scarlet Knights made their run to go ahead by multiple possessions.
The rest of the schedule - especially next up against No. 18 Maryland - features plenty of teams with height and size advantages, so Pikiell will have to find a way to get the most he can out of the forwards and wings to support the rim protection.
“Being able to make free throws was our strong point," Pikiell said. "We were in a ton of foul trouble too so we had to fight through a lot of obstacles too. They are a real physical team and pose a lot of problems for a lot of people. They have size, and they have unbelievable rebounders. But, we were in attack mode and it was good to see.”
5. Depth Pieces Made Key Plays Late
There have been two common themes that have led to Rutgers wins this season: Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey both play, and the Scarlet Knights get clutch plays from their depth pieces.
It seems simple, but Rutgers has not gotten both aspects in many games this season. On Wednesday, it did.
Davis continued his strong stretch of play after a career-high 20 points against Michigan on Saturday, playing in the closing lineup. Though he did not light up the box score (4 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a steal), his steady handle and composure in big moments shining through.
"I played with him all my life," Bailey said of his childhood friend and teammate. "It's a lot of stuff I think he can do but y'all don't think he can do, that I know he can do. With him just stepping in that role, and he's growing with it as we go, defense, offense, he's getting in the lane getting on two feet, going up strong through contact, getting the and-one, shooting the three ball, playing defense, all of it's just coming together. He's learning more about every game as we go."
Zach Martini and PJ Hayes had their share of big plays as well. In a stretch midway through the second half where Illinois took the lead back and had a full head of steam offensively, Martini hit Hayes on an extra perimeter pass, leading to a made three-pointer. On the ensuing possession, Williams hit Martini on a cross-key pass leading to another open three that the Princeton product nailed to keep Rutgers' offensive momentum up.
Each made hustle plays outside of shooting as well. Martini played some strong defense and had impressive boxouts, while Hayes was entrusted to come in the game late with Rutgers' frontcourt depth waning.
Protecting a two-possession lead, the Scarlet Knights took a full minute off the clock thanks in part due to a key drive from Hayes. He pump-faked a corner three, drove to the rim, and missed, but got his own offensive rebound - Rutgers' first of two on the possession - and forced Illinois to foul.
Rutgers likely does not win the game without those key plays from the trio of depth pieces.
The Scarlet Knights will be back on the road on Sunday to take on the 18th-ranked Terrapins in College Park at noon EST.
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
