Last two years end in similar heartbreak fashion for Rutgers Basketball
As the game was unfolding, you couldn’t help but have flashbacks. Almost a year ago to the day, the Rutgers men’s basketball team ended its season in double-overtime to Notre Dame by two points in a First Four game of the NCAA Tournament in Dayton.
Tuesday night, after being snubbed out of the “Big Dance” as the second team in the First Four Out per the committee, the No. 1-seeded Scarlet Knights lost in overtime by two points to nearby Hofstra in an upset, 88-86, inside Jersey Mike's Arena.
Last season, Notre Dame won 89-87. The two contests were eerily similar, and both ended in heartbreak for Rutgers.
After Rutgers took a 74-69 lead over Hofstra with 30 seconds to go in the second half after a second-chance dunk and a layup each by Caleb McConnell, Hofstra closed regulation with a 3-pointer by Tyler Thomas and a jump shot in the paint with two seconds remaining by Nelson Boachie-Yiadom. Yiadom’s basket came after a missed triple by Jaquan Carlos. Yiadom got the offensive rebound and skied a floater over Cliff Omoruyi.
In overtime, the Pride hit 6-of-8 shots. A jumper by Thomas with 10 seconds left gave Hofstra the win. Derek Simpson tried a floater with time winding down, but it just hit off the rip and Omoruyi couldn’t get a tip-in to go.
Thomas finished with a game-high 25 points while four others in double figures for Hofstra. Aaron Estrada recorded 13 points despite fouling out with just over six minutes to go in the second half, Carlos had 12 points, Yiadom-Boachie netted 10 points, and Darlinstone Dubar bucketed 17 points.
Hofstra shot 56.7% from the field (37-for-65) including 38.5% on 3-pointers (10-for-26) against the fifth-best defense in the country per KenPom.
The Pride also out-rebounded the Scarlet Knights, 34-30 and outscored them off the bench (11-9), in the paint (42-40), and in transition (17-10). Hofstra led for just 7:28 in the game to 35:41 for Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights enjoyed a fast start and led by as many as 10 in the first half, but Hofstra hit tough shot after shot with hands in its face. It also benefited from a banked 3-pointer in overtime.
Last March 16, Rutgers led by eight early in the second half versus Notre Dame. But the Fighting Irish edged Rutgers at the end, shooting 51.4% and coming up with clutch plays. Paul Mulcahy’s 3-pointer with 10 seconds to go in the first overtime put Rutgers ahead by two, but Blake Wesley made a layup with four seconds left to force the second extra period. Ron Harper Jr. knotted the score at 87-87 on a triple with 23 ticks remaining, but Paul Atkinson Jr. came up with an offensive rebound off a missed layup by Wesley and hit the game-winner right before the buzzer.
The past two years, Rutgers saw its postseason end on two high-scoring thrillers in almost identical fashion.
Tuesday’s night game was a microcosm of how Rutgers’ 2022-23 season went. The Scarlet Knights started out the non-conference portion of the campaign and the beginning of the Big Ten slate well, only to collapse and falter down the stretch in February. It got up off the mat and punched back to beat Michigan like it did to stay with Hofstra in overtime, but ultimately it wasn’t enough.
Like it was stunned against Minnesota as the Golden Gophers came back from a large deficit with 1:15 left, Hofstra shocked the Scarlet Knights on their home floor in Piscataway. The Pride never went away and Rutgers could never widen the gap in the second half.
On a day where McConnell etched his name in the record books with the most steals in program history (221) passing Eddie Jordan’s 220, the fifth-year senior capped his career with another crushing defeat. McConnell gave Rutgers 13 points, three assists, five rebounds, and two steals, but was just 1-for-4 from the free-throw line. The 6-foot-7 guard/forward was the Co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and he is a finalist for the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Cam Spencer paced the Scarlet Knights with 22 points, eight rebounds, five assists, a block, and a steal while Simpson finished with 19 points and four assists. Omoruyi also had 14 points, but only five boards. Paul Mulcahy notched nine points and five points as well.
Only McConnell will definitely be gone next year. Mulcahy, Aundre Hyatt (five points), and Oskar Palmquist all walked on Senior Night but can return. Rutgers, which finished 40th in the NET and 35th on KenPom, was seen as the surprise team that didn’t hear its name called for the NCAA Tournament which would have been its third appearance in a row, a new team-high.
Instead, it got a No. 1 seed in the NIT with home court advantage through the quarterfinals. The semifinals and final were to be held in Las Vegas.
That’s all for naught, as the once promising season is complete at 19-15 overall. It is a hard pill to swallow, but Rutgers is bringing in five-star forward Gavin Griffiths, three-star forward Baye Ndongo, and three-star point guard Jamichael Davis in the 2023 recruiting class.
The Scarlet Knights also have five-star forward Airious Bailey and four-star guard Dellquan Warren committed in 2024. As of now, they have the No. 4 recruiting class in the nation. The three ahead of them have three or more pledges.
It's hard to think about that right now given how the last two years have gone, however even better days could be ahead.
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
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