Rutgers men's basketball looks to open up Big Ten play with victory against No. 24 Illinois
The Rutgers men's basketball team will return to action on Saturday against Illinois at Jersey Mike's Arena on Livingston campus. The game will be the first of Big Ten play for the Scarlet Knights (5-1, 0-0) this season and will be their sixth consecutive home game.
Rutgers comes into this match with a five-game winning streak. The Fighting Illini's (5-1, 0-0) bout on the Banks will be their first road game of the season.
No. 24 Illinois has only lost to Marquette, which currently ranks No. 3 in the nation. The Fighting Illini played the Golden Eagles (6-1, 0-0) close in the 71-64 loss.
Saturday's game is primed to be a defensive battle, as both Rutgers and Illinois rank highly in many defensive statistics.
The teams rank as the top two in the country in opponent field goal percentage, with the Fighting Illini just edging the Knights for the No. 1 spot.
Both teams have not given up many points due to poor shooting numbers from their opponents. Rutgers ranks No. 3 in the entire nation in scoring defense, giving up just 55.5 points per game (PPG) to its opponents. Illinois is not far behind, as it ranks No. 8 and gives up 58.7 PPG.
Forcing turnovers is one advantage the Knights may find through their defensive play. They currently rank No. 12 in turnovers forced per game, forcing approximately 17 per game. On top of that, Rutgers ranks No. 13 in turnover margin, forcing 6.2 more turnovers per game than it commits.
As for the Fighting Illini, they do not do nearly as well in those categories. Illinois' turnover margin ranks 320th out of 351 teams in the NCAA. The Fighting Illini have turned the ball over 75 times this season on offense and have forced just 56 turnovers on defense.
The Knights will need to take advantage of this discrepancy and be active on the defensive side of the ball. If Rutgers can do this, it will lead to plenty of fast break points, which is another category the team ranks highly in at No. 6 in the country.
The first game of Big Ten play for these two teams will certainly provide a different type of challenge. If any of these defensive statistics hold true during the two's on-court performances against one another, it will be a rock fight this weekend.
The Knights will need to hone in on Terrence Shannon Jr. defensively. The fifth-year guard is leading Illinois with 19.5 PPG and has plenty of experience under his belt, as he was a First-Team All-Big Ten honoree last season.
Look for fellow fifth-year guard Noah Fernandes to try his hand at defending against Shannon for Rutgers. Fernandes has improved his defensive play since he arrived on the Banks as a transfer and will look to stay solid on Saturday.
The game will tip off at 4 p.m. and be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and 88.7 WRSU FM.
While Shannon and the Fighting Illini will present a particularly difficult task for the Knights, Fernandes is focused on doing what Rutgers has done all season.
"Sometimes, obviously, you got to know what the other team does, and focus on your opponent," Fernandes said. "But I think if we do what we do, we'll go in there and get our first Big Ten win."
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