As the ball hit the bottom of the net for his first made basket in weeks, Dylan Harper turned to the Illinois corner of Jersey Mike’s Arena and gestured for them to simmer down. A few minutes later, when he hit his first three-pointer of the night,

Dylan Harper returned to score 28 points, fellow freshman Ace Bailey added 18 points and 11 rebounds and Rutgers beat No. 23 Illinois 82-73 on Wednesday night. Harper made 11 of 12 frees throws and had six rebounds and five assists after missing a 66-63 home loss to Michigan on Saturday because of a sprained ankle.

Then it seemed Illinois might flip the script with a concerted interior effort in the second half against the Scarlet Knights – similar to how they pulled off a comeback win over Ohio State on Sunday.