5*
(NCAAB) Illinois vs. Rutgers, 03/04/2017 7:00 AM, Score: 59 - 62
Point Spread: -4.50 | -106.00 Illinois (Away)
Result: Loss
Illinois has made a late season charge to get into the Bubble conversation winning 5 of their last 6 games including resume building victories against Northwestern twice, Iowa, and in their last outing against Michigan State. Illinois has made a late season charge on the back of their increased defensive results as the Illini now stand 117th in the nation in points allowed and playing some very tough defense. Illinois has also been coming through on the road winning their last three road games against Northwestern, Iowa, and Nebraska. The Offense has been the major issue with Rutgers this season as the Scarlet Knights rank 323rd in the nation in scoring average and they are riding a 6 game losing streak with only 1 win coming at home throughout the course of Big Ten play. Illinois has all of a sudden become a threat in the Big Ten as this group is finally starting to live up to some of the potential many thought this group had coming into the year. We like Illinois to continue to build off of their recent momentum as they go on to cover the spread here in this early Saturday tipoff.