Senior day did not play out the way Rutgers wanted it to. Candido Sa missed the game with an injury suffered in practice. Corey Sanders played with a foot issue, per the BTN announcers. And Geo Baker, back from missing Tuesday’s game with the flu, lost nine pounds in the past week and showed it. In addition, Rutgers played sloppy at times and couldn’t sustain enough runs to end the home season on a positive note. Illinois had a solid lead most of the final ten minutes and won 75-62.
Rutgers came out with energy and purpose, as they jumped out to an early 8-4 lead in the first three minutes of the game.