Quick thoughts about a 61-50 loss to Rutgers:
How did this happen: Indiana left with a sense of urgency at the opening of the Big Ten tournament. The Hoosiers ran to a 21-11 lead in the first half with the strength of a solid 2-point shot and stellar defense. The Hoosiers were struggling defensively, moving the ball well and generating favorable looks on the rim for Trayce Jackson-Davis. It was such a good period of basketball that Indiana played in the past few weeks. But as has been the case throughout the season, Indiana has been unable to maintain control or maintain its momentum. Over the 8h53 finals of the first half, Rutgers, an NCAA tournament team, snatched 22 points to claim a 33-32 lead at halftime.
The second half brought more drama and the races you expect to see in the tournament. After Rutgers opened a five-point lead at 41-36, Indiana started an 8-0 run to grab the 44-41 lead, which forced Rutgers to time out. The Scarlet Knights responded with four consecutive points to grab the lead 45-41 with 10:47 to play. A flurry of changes in leadership led the game to a media timeout under the age of eight, with Rutgers leading 49-48.
The turning point came in the next sequence, when Indiana had a long scoring drought and Rutgers hit a pair of 3 points to take the lead 55-48 with 5:30 to play. The moment Indiana scored again, Al Durham Jr. hit two free throws with 3:14 to play for 55-50 Rutgers. Free throws ended a 7:15 scoring drought. The Hoosiers never came closer than five the rest of the way to lose their sixth straight game to end the season.
Outstanding interpreter: Jackson-Davis finished with 19 points and added nine rebounds in 36 minutes.
Stunning statistics: With the defeat at the end of Thursday’s season, Indiana became the first team to lose to Rutgers three times in a season since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten in the 2014-15 season.
Individual final UI statistics:
Final statistics without pace:
Assembly Call post-game show:
Filed Under: 2021 Big Ten Tournament, Rutgers Scarlet Knights