Getty Images Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Illinois looks to maintain its stellar form as it begins tournament play, taking on Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday.
The game starts at 6:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
If you don’t have cable or don’t have the Big Ten Network channel, here are several different ways you can watch a live stream of Illinois vs Rutgers–and every other Big Ten Tournament game–online for free:
Note: Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of Big Ten Network, CBS (will have the Big Ten semis and championship) and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch Illinois vs Rutgers live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV also comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch games on-demand within three days of their conclusion, even if you don’t record them.
AT&T TV
AT&T TV has four different channel packages: “Entertainment”, “Choice”, “Ultimate” and “Premier.” CBS (will have the Big Ten semis and championship) is included in all of them, while the Big Ten Network is in the “Choice” and above bundles. You can pick any package and any add-on you want for your free 14-day trial.
Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but when you sign up and select whatever bundle and extras you want, you’ll see that — if you’re a new customer — the “due today” amount is $0. You won’t be charged for 14 days, and you can cancel at any time:
Once signed up for AT&T TV, you can watch Illinois vs Rutgers live on the AT&T TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the AT&T TV website.
If you can’t watch live, AT&T TV also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours).
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of Big Ten Network, CBS (will have the Big Ten semis and championship) and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which you can try out for free with a seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch Illinois vs Rutgers live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Illinois vs Rutgers Preview
Rutgers has won three of its last four heading into a Big Ten tournament matchup with Ilinois, the latest of those being a 61-50 second-round victory against Indiana. The Scarlet Knights held the Hoosiers to just 18 points in the second half and got double-digit point contributions from four of its five starters. Jacob Young and Ron Harper Jr. led the way with 13 apiece.
“I have a ton of respect for that program. They came out and took it to us, but we stayed the course. I’m proud of our guys,” Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said. “Everyone did a good job and to hold a team to 18 points is a really good defensive effort.”
While Rutgers is hot, Illinois is hotter and comes into the quarterfinals as one of the No. 3 ranked team in the nation. The Illini have lost just one game since Jan. 16.
“There is no doubt that we are a great hunter and we are chasing something. We are chasing a lot right now and there is no doubt that we feel that and we prey on that. I create that I want to channel that the right way,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “It all a matter of what your perspective is. Some people look at it that they are chasing us because we are the higher seed. What we are chasing is something beyond that. Our goals are set pretty high and we will chase those.”
In a topsy-turvy season due to COVID-19, Illinois finished the Big Ten season with a 16-4 but saw 14-3 Michigan win the regular-season title. That’s something Underwood took exception to.
“I know this, nobody’s won more games than us,” Underwood said. “And we’ve played them all.”
The regular-season title would have been Illinois’ first since 2005, when they also won the tournament. What helps the Illini’s cause is that they thumped Michigan in their only regular-season meeting 76-53.
But Illinois needs to get by Rutgers first. Here are the other Big Ten quarterfinal matchups on the docket for Friday.
- No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 8 Maryland
- No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 5 Ohio State
- No. 3 Iowa vs. No. 6 Wisconsin
Illinois is a 7.5-point favorite for the matchup, with the total set at 137 points. The total has gone over in five of Illinois’ last six games against Rutgers.