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Rutgers has a pulse.
The Scarlet Knights broke their five-game losing streak on Sunday, beating Indiana 74-70, which amounted to a must-see contest. The victory – their first ever at Assembly Hall – was the result of their best performance of 2021 and brings Rutgers’ aspirations to the NCAA tournament back to life.
After a back-and-forth start, the Scarlet Knights took control of the contest. They led most of the first half, taking a 5 point lead in the break. They extended that to a game-high 14 points lead with 11:54 to go. The Hoosiers cut the deficit, reducing it to 3 points with 4:11 remaining and ending closely at Bloomington. Rutgers held on thanks to 6 straight points from junior forward Ron Harper Jr., who finished with his second double double of the year (15 points, 10 rebounds), and an offensive rebound from junior center Myles Johnson with 11 seconds to play.
Rutgers played with the energy of the opening point, moved the ball to the attacking side (15 assists of 27 field goals), was locked out defensively and shot 70.6% (12 of 17) from the free throw line.
An upheaval in the initial lineup contributed to the change. Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell started Paul Mulcahy and Caleb McConnell in place of Jacob Young and Montez Mathis. It was the first time the guard pair failed to start this season – it broke a 66-game starting streak for Mathis – but it paid off instantly. The Scarlet Knights moved the ball well, leading to nine assists on 16 field goals in the first half, and played with an energy that was lacking for most of the past three weeks.
Senior guard Geo Baker made the most of the change, playing his best game of the season. He scored 19 points and provided five assists, playing on the ball for most of his season-high 37 minutes.
Center Myles Johnson played a crucial role in the victory, especially on the defensive end, where he faced All-American contender Trayce Jackson-Davis. Johnson played the biggest part in the Scarlet Knights holding the second 13-point forward on a perfect 4 of 10 shot. He also blocked five shots, scored 8 effective points on a perfect 4 of 4 shot and chained eight. rebounds, none more important than his offensive rebound with 11 seconds left.
The victory doesn’t make up for the Scarlet Knights’ recent slippage, but it stops the bleeding and keeps things from getting worse.
Halfway on the Big Ten schedule, Rutgers sits at 4-6 in conference. Given how strong the Big Ten are, a 10-10 conference finish should be enough to land an NCAA tournament bid, a task made more realistic by Sunday’s victory over Indiana.
One thing is for sure: The Scarlet Knights are more likely to achieve this by playing the way they did in Assembly Hall.
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Brian Fonseca can be reached at [email protected].
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