#16 Illinois 11-3 (2-1) hosts Rutgers 8-7 (1-3) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. CST at the State Farm Center. The game will be aired on the Big Ten Network. Illinois and Rutgers have had very different seasons up until this point. The Illini have taken care of all their games against inferior opponents, while adding some nice resume building wins along the way. Rutgers, on the other hand, have struggled all season. After beginning with a 4-0 record in buy games, the Scarlet Knights

The Illinois Fighting Illini resumed Big Ten play with a road test against Penn State on January 3rd. The Illini were selected in the Nittany Lions' annual game in the "Cathedral of College Basketball." This was not the first occasion the Illini encountered Penn State in a venue where they would play only a single game. If you recall, and I am sure many of you do, two seasons ago, the Illini played in Penn State's volleyball arena "Rec Hall." The then East Regional runner-up