Rutgers have a pulse.
The Scarlet Knights broke their five-game losing streak on Sunday, beating Indiana 74-70 in what seemed like a mandatory contest. The victory – the first at the Assembly Hall – was the result of his best performance in 2021 and revives the aspirations of the Rutgers NCAA Tournament.
After starting back and forth, the Scarlet Knights took control of the competition. They led most of the first half, with a 5-point lead at halftime. They extended it to a 14-point advantage, the highest in the game, with 11:54 remaining in the contest. The Hoosiers narrowed the gap, dropping it to 3 points with 4:11 left in the game and reaching a close finish in Bloomington. Rutgers held on thanks to 6 consecutive points from junior striker Ron Harper Jr., who finished with his second one-two of the year (15 points, 10 rebounds), and an offensive rebound from center Myles Johnson with 11 seconds left.
Rutgers played energetically from the start, moved the ball on the offensive side (15 assists in 27 goals scored), braked defensively and kicked 70.6% (12 of 17) of the free throw line.
A change in the starting team contributed to the change. Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell started Paul Mulcahy and Caleb McConnell in place of Jacob Young and Montez Mathis. It was the first time the guards didn’t make their debut this season – a 66-game straight for Mathis – but it was worth it immediately. The Scarlet Knights moved the ball well, leading to nine assists in 16 field goals in the first half, and played with the energy they lacked in the past three weeks.
Chief owner Geo Baker benefited the most from the exchange, playing his best game of the season. He scored 19 points and gave five assists, playing with the ball for most of the 37 minutes, the best of the season, on the ground.
Center Myles Johnson played a crucial role in the victory, especially in the defensive end, where he faced the All-American candidate Trayce Jackson-Davis. Johnson played the most important role in the Scarlet Knights holding the second year ahead with 13 points in a perfect 4 out of 10 shot. He also blocked five shots, scored 8 points in perfect 4 out of 4 shots and recovered eight rebounds, no more more important than his offensive rebound 11 seconds from the end.
The victory does not compensate for the recent slippage of the Scarlet Knights, but for the bleeding and keeps things from getting worse.
In the middle of the Big Ten schedule, Rutgers is 4-6 in the conference game. Given the strength of the Big Ten, a 10-10 finish at the conference should be enough to secure a bid for the NCAA Tournament, a task that has become more realistic thanks to Sunday’s victory over Indiana.
One thing is for sure: Scarlet Knights are more likely to achieve this by playing the way they did in the Assembly Hall.
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Brian Fonseca can be reached at [email protected].