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INDIANAPOLIS – Rutgers goalie Jacob Young lost possession at the top of the key, causing a mad scramble for the ball with about seven minutes left in the first half against Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
Mount Mathis had a clear path to the ball before Illinois 7-foot, 285-pound center Kofi Cockburn came in and stole it. Cockburn secured the ball and then flattened Mathis, Rutgers’ 6-4, 210-pound guard, like a pancake as an official whistled.
Foul on Rutgers.
An early knockout for Illinois.
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Rutgers was not a game against the nation’s No.3 team on Friday night in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, falling 90-68 here at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“We didn’t play well,” said Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell. “Illinois deserved to win. They looked like the No.1 team today. ”
Illinois (21-6) clinched a end-to-end triumph, leading in double digits for the final 29 minutes en route to avenge a 91-88 loss at the hands of the Scarlet Knights on December 20.
For Rutgers, Ron Harper Jr. scored 21 points – eclipsing his career 1,000 point plateau in the process – and Geo Baker finished 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 at Piscataway 82 days ago. In it, Rutgers came to the line 36 times, converting 25 free throws for a conversion rate of 69.4%. Illinois converted at 11 for 15 (73.3%), prompting coach Brad Underwood to say that no team “is going to win on the road with a 21 free throw gap.”
Rutgers was charged with 24 personal fouls and Illinois converted 21 of 31 free throws. Rutgers attempted 22 free throws, converting to a 72.7 percent clip.
“We had huge foul issues,” Pikiell said. “I thought we were back there, we got under 12, but couldn’t get over the hill. ”
Rutgers beat Illinois, now the nation’s fourth-best rebounding team, 35-34 in its December victory. On Friday night, the Illini held a massive 44-19 rebound margin.
It marked Rutgers’ most unbalanced loss since a 23-point loss to Michigan State on Jan.5.
Illinois have won for the 16th time in 19 games since falling to Rutgers.
The Illini have advanced to the semi-finals of the Big Ten Tournament, where they meet Iowa or Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon.
Rutgers started slow for the fifth straight game, falling behind 9-0 after committing four turnovers in the first three minutes.
Rutgers’ first basket came 3 minutes and 29 seconds into the game thanks to a layup from Myles Johnson. The Scarlet Knights woke up after that, using a 9-2 run, capped by a conventional 3-point play from Jacob Young, to shoot within two points.
But fouls became a problem for Rutgers, who committed his seventh foul to land in the bonus eight minutes and 30 seconds into the game.
Johnson and Cliff Omoruyi each had two fouls during that span, which meant Rutgers was deprived of the services of his two best post players for most of the first half.
That wasn’t good news given that Rutgers had to defend Cockburn, a likely NBA first-round pick, presented a game nightmare for third-string center Mamadou Doucoure.
Illinois took advantage, shooting 54.8% from the field with 26 points in the paint and dominating the boards with a 22-8 advantage in the first period.
The Trent Frazier jumper gave Illinois their biggest first-half lead – 47-28 – at intermission.
Rutgers was never less than 12 points in the second half.
Rutgers will now await his NCAA tournament fate, a virtual lock to see his name appear in the bracket for the first time in 30 years.
Just seven days ago, the Scarlet Knights should have won in Minnesota to secure a blanket bid for the big dance. They did exactly that, losing an overtime victory over the Gophers before solidifying their cause with a second-round Big Ten Tournament triumph over Indiana.
The majority of bracketologists have Rutgers indexed as a seed of 8, 9 or 10. ESPN.com has Rutgers as seeded 9, paired with Loyola-Chicago in an area that includes seeded Baylor.
Rutgers’ resume features a 15-11 record, a 10-10 rating in the Big Ten game that was good enough for a tied 6th place in arguably the country’s toughest conference, and a 5- record. 8 against enemies of Quad 1.
The NCAA tournament begins Friday, March 19, here in Indianapolis. The Scarlet Knights won’t be returning to Piscataway, but will be training at an Indiana gym in preparation for their first-round opponent.
Like the rest of the likely participants in the NCAA Big Ten tournament, the Scarlet Knights are expected to be subject to strict COVID-19 social distancing restrictions starting this weekend.
They will likely watch the tournament selection show together at their team’s hotel.
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Keith Sargeant can be reached at [email protected]. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
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