Monday’s critical road matchup with Penn State (12-6, 2-5) is surely going to test Rutgers (10-8, 3-4). It will show truly how tough and resilient this young team really is after winning back-to-back games against NET Top 50 opponents UCLA and Nebraska.
While things clearly look like they are headed in the right direction, the Scarlet Knights need to approach Monday’s game with the same mental focus and tenacity as they did against both UCLA and Nebraska.
After getting ‘out toughed’ by Indiana, Wisconsin and Purdue in the early going of January, Steve Pikiell made several changes to the lineup, and it worked out to his advantage.
“We are growing up and learning how to play at this level against great teams,” said Pikiell. “We start four freshmen and our league is old, so you have to kind of figure it out and I think we are. We are rebounding the ball; some timely baskets and our defense is improving.”
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In last week’s contest against UCLA, Rutgers made significant progress on the defensive end as the Scarlet Knights were able to hold the Bruins to 6-of-19 shooting from 3-point range (31.6%), out muscled the Bruins on the boards 37-29, and swatted away 7 shot attempts. It was also refreshing to see the Rutgers frontcourt combine for 24 of the 37 team total rebounds. The bench showed up on the offensive end for Rutgers as they combined for 25 points. What was really evident in the game was the fact Rutgers played ‘team’ basketball and were connected. It goes to show Rutgers has matured over the first two months of the season and are starting to play within themselves.
“We just connected,” said Pikiell after the game against UCLA. “In this league, you’d better be connected for 40 minutes. I think we were connected for 40.”
In another critical road test this past week, Rutgers was able to cool off Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena, where the Cornhuskers were riding a 20-game home winning streak. Rutgers became the first Big Ten team to defeat Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena since Michigan State did on February 28, 2023.
In the game against Nebraska, Rutgers showed resilience on both ends of the floor and played connected for 40 minutes. Despite a slow start to the game, Rutgers shared the basketball and kept it moving with crisp passing on the offensive end. Rutgers also drained a season high 12 made 3-pointers in the game, surpassing 11 made 3-pointers against Columbia in late December. Once again, the bench showed up combining for 23 points and 19 rebounds. Meanwhile, defensively the Scarlet Knights put pressure on Nebraska’s big men forcing poor shots and went toe-for-toe with the Cornhuskers on the boards. The win over Nebraska continued to show how Rutgers is playing with togetherness.
“We are able to get the ball moving,” said Pikiell after the game. “I loved how we shared the ball in the second half.”
With the win against Nebraska, Rutgers earned its first road win and Quad 1 victory of the season, but this is a mark the Scarlet Knights will look to improve on moving forward. Rutgers will have nine Quad 1 games remaining on their schedule with three at home and six on the road.
“Rutgers remains a longshot to make the [NCAA] Tournament, but back-to-back wins vs UCLA and Nebraska is a great start,” said expert bracketologist JBR Bracketology on his social media account.
As Monday approaches, Rutgers will look to tally another Quad 1 road win at the Bryce Jordan Center, but it won’t be easy. Some of the toughest losses for Rutgers have occurred at the Bryce Jordan Center as the Scarlet Knights are just 3-4 in that building under Steve Pikiell. Rutgers defeated Penn State 80-76 in their first meeting in December at Jersey Mike’s Arena, and surely Mike Rhoades will have his Nittany Lions ready. Penn State will try to stop the bleeding as the Nittany Lions are currently on a four-game losing streak. Penn State came up short this past Wednesday in a 90-85 loss to Michigan State.
If Rutgers wants to dream of dancing in March, the Scarlet Knights must continue to play connected for 40 minutes on the floor, share the basketball, and communicate effectively on the defensive end and they MUST secure wins. It’s a big ask but Rutgers will likely have to go no worse than 9-4 in their next 13 games of the regular season.
“Road wins are going to be essential if this team wants to become relevant,” said bracketologist Brad Wachtel on his social media account.
Mr. Wachtel couldn’t be more correct. Road wins will be essential for Rutgers to get back into the conversation because the Scarlet Knights have seven remaining road games with multiple opportunities to boost their resume.
The road ahead will be tough for Rutgers, but Pikiell thinks they can get it done. “If we can stay locked in like this and stay connected, good things will happen.”
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