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Illinois HC Brad Underwood discusses disappointing road loss to Rutgers

Ryan Williamson

By Ryan Williamson

Published:

At 6-0 and ranked No. 19, Rutgers appears to be a team on the rise worthy of some national attention. That proved to be true on Sunday as the Scarlet Knights took on No. 13 Illinois.

After falling behind in the first half, Rutgers stormed back to win a tight 91-88 contest to surely solidify some more attention from those in the Big Ten and at the national level.

For the Fighting Illini, it’s their third loss of the season. All have come to ranked opponents — Baylor, Missouri, and now the Scarlet Knights.

Illinois certainly came into the 2020-21 season with high expectations. While the Illini have shown sparks, a 5-3 record at this point of the season has to be disappointing for Brad Underwood’s squad.

Illinois committed 26 fouls, which helped lead to Rutgers getting to the free-throw line 36 times. Though the Scarlet Knights weren’t great at the line, making just 69.4 percent of their attempts, it makes a difference in a tight game like Sunday’s.

It was a rough go of things for Illini freshman guard Adam Miller. He had zero points and four fouls in 20 minutes on Sunday. He was the only Illinois starter not in double figures.

One of the calls that played a big factor in the game was a flagrant call on Da’Monte Williams. That once again goes back to Illinois’ foul troubles, something that has plagued the Illini in their losses this season.

Ryan Williamson