Rutgers gets outrebounded by Illinois, falls in B1G quarterfinals
And now we wait.
Seventh-seeded Rutgers was bounced from the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament by second-seeded Illinois, 90-68, Friday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN.
“The key to the game was to rebound and keep them out of the lane,” Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said. “We got into foul trouble, and couldn’t get over the hill. They really cracked us on the glass. They look like a No. 1 team. We didn’t play well.”
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Rutgers got into foul trouble early and got crushed on the glass. Both cost the Scarlet Knights a chance against the No. 3-ranked team in the country. Paul Mulcahy was called for three fouls, while Caleb McConnell, Cliff Omoruyi, and Myles Johnson all had two apiece in the first half. The lead for Illinois steady climbed to 19 as the Illini shot 16 foul shots in the opening 20 minutes.
Illinois tallied 22 rebounds in the first half, including nine on the offensive end. Meanwhile, Rutgers had just eight. Kofi Cockburn had eight himself for Illinois, which recorded eight second-chance points and shot 55% before the break. Rutgers went down 9-0 early before it could blink, and was one-and-done on the offensive end way too many times. The Scarlet Knights went on a 6-0 run to cut their deficit to three points, and another three-point spurt by Jacob Young cut it to 11-9, but that was as close as they would get the rest of the way.
The fouls and rebounding disparity completely washed out the fact that it shot 48% (12-of-25) from the floor, though it was 0-5 on 3-pointers.
For the game, Illinois outrebounded Rutgers 44-19 including 17-3 on the offensive side. Mulcahy and Johnson each fouled out.
“It all goes back to rebounding the basketball. I think we’re 12-1 when we outrebound our opponents. We started the game off poorly with turnovers. When we defend and rebound, it gives us a chance to win. We didn’t get in a groove. Gave up too many points.”
After the break, Rutgers continued to get the room as Young and Ron Harper Jr. took turns driving to the basket for layups. Rutgers at the 11:38 mark, was shooting 61% in the second half and was outscoring the Illini 20-14.
But the Illini continued to show why its the hottest team in the country and a potential one-seed with 16 assists on 32 buckets, 46 points in the paint, and 52% shooting (32-of-61). Illinois led for 39:36 of the game.
Harper Jr. finished with a team-high 21 points, including his 1,000th point, on an efficient 7-of-13 field goals. He missed his one and only 3-pointer. Young added 13 points, and Geo Baker scored 10. Rutgers made a respectable 25-of-54 attempts and 16-of-22 from the free-throw line.
“To get 1,000 points on any level is a tremendous honor,” Pikiell said. “We need him.”
Neither team shot well from long range with Rutgers going 3-for-11 and Illinois going 5-of-17.
Cockburn had 18 points and 12 rebounds and Ayo Dosumnu recorded 23 points, six assists, and five rebounds.
Mulcahy was hit with a technical foul and McConnell was hit with a flagrant 2 and was ejected.
"I didn't see anything on those," Pikiell said. "I guess Paul said something after the layup. I don't know what he said. I'll have to watch the tape for Caleb's."
The Scarlet Knights, who haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 1991, appear as if they will break the 30-year drought come Sunday night at 6:00 p.m. when the bracket is revealed. As of this writing, Rutgers is projected a nine-seed for the tournament according to BracketMatrix.com with a NET ranking of 35th. Rutgers was seeded ninth in 1991 as well when it fell to eighth-seeded Arizona State in the first round, and it was also a nine-seed in 1983 when it advanced to the second round.
“We’ll quickly turn the page tomorrow,” Pikiell said. “We have to get back to playing the brand of basketball we play. We’re going to stay here and practice here. We saw a one-seed today. This league prepares you. We know we have to play better. You get well-tested in this league. You’re hardened when you play in a game like this.”
Pikiell said there is no set plan right now other than staying in Indy.
“We’re looking forward to it,” Pikiell said. “I haven’t spent time (looking at brackets). I’m just excited we get to keep playing. I love this group, and I think we can do exciting things.”
The team earned a 13-seed in 1989 and a six-seed in 1979.
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
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