Don’t look now, but Rutgers is one game back from first place in the B1G standings.

The Scarlet Knights got there by pulling off a 4th straight upset, taking down No. 12 Illinois 70-59 Wednesday evening. Illinois tried to pull off a second-half comeback and mounted a 14-4 run at one point, but it was not enough with Rutgers firing on all cylinders.

4 Rutgers starters landed in double figures with Ron Harper Jr. leading the team with 16 points. Cliff Omoruyi also shined in the big-man matchup with Kofi Cockburn, notching a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

For Illinois, Cockburn led all scorers and had another double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Trent Frazier added 11 points and RJ Melendez was strong once again with 10 points off the bench.

A big factor in the game was 3-point shooting with Illinois hitting a poor stretch and unable to pull out of it late. The Illini finished 6-for-23 from 3-point range with Jacob Grandison, Da’Monte Williams, and Alfonso Plummer finishing 1-for-11.

The win gives Rutgers 4 straight vs. ranked opponents (No. 13 Michigan State, No. 16 Ohio State, No. 14 Wisconsin, and No. 12 Illinois). That is the longest winning streak vs. ranked opponents in school history, and it has completely shaken up the race for the regular-season B1G title.

With the loss, Illinois drops into a 3-way tie for first place with Wisconsin and Purdue at 11-4 in conference play. Rutgers is now 10-5 in conference play and is just 1 game behind the leaders.