The “Win One For The Seniors” Game Thread: Illinois At Rutgers

How To Watch & Listen

Illinois (18-12; 8-9) At Rutgers (13-17; 2-15)

Where: The RAC

Tip-off: Saturday, March 4th at 12:00 p.m. ET

TV: ESPNU - Clay Matvick and Sean Harrington

Radio: WCTC 1450 AM & WOR 710 AM - Jerry Recco & Joe Boylan; WRSU 88.7 FM

KenPom Rankings: Rutgers #136; Illinois #66

KenPom Prediction: Illinois 65 Rutgers 63; Rutgers is given a 41% chance of winning.

Series History: Illinois leads 4-0 all-time in the series, including a 110-101 win in triple overtime at the RAC last season.

Salute To The Seniors

Alright, here we go. Last call seniors CJ Gettys and Khalil Batie. There is no better way to send them off than a big victory at the RAC. Illinois is red hot, winners of four straight, and fighting for an NCAA Tournament bid, as well as likely their head coach’s job as well. Three weeks ago, John Groce was presumed to be a dead coach walking, but the fighting Illini never quit. After an emotional senior night of their own on Wednesday, will they be able to continue their run on the road in front of the Scarlet faithful?

The real key is for Rutgers to come out and hit them in the mouth from the start. There have been many close losses this season and the end of games are always dissected. However, the Scarlet Knights have a bad habit of falling in an early hole. Credit their ability to battle back into most games, but it’s as much a reason why they fall short in the end as any. Hopefully, they can feed off the crowd from the opening tip and get off to a good start.

Getting back to basics through defense and rebounding is how they will ultimately win this game. In a battle of the two lowest scoring teams In Big Ten play, Rutgers has a real opportunity to end the regular season on a high note.

I’ll be covering the game from press row and follow us on twitter for live commentary. Join us in the comment section during the game as well. This team has made strides this season, but seeing them rock the RAC one last time sure would be sweet! Let's go RU!

Game Preview