Rutgers bows out to red-hot Iowa in Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals
Fourth-seeded Rutgers fell to fifth-seeded Iowa, 84-74, in the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament quarterfinals on Friday afternoon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN.
Rutgers got out to a good start, making seven of its initial 10 shots, but Iowa switched a zone and went on a 25-7 run to make it a 36-24 game.
A jumper in the lane and 3-pointer by Geo Baker as well as a triple by Ron Harper Jr. cut to 38-32 before Keegan Murray hit 3 -pointer as well for Iowa to push it to 41-32. The Hawkeyes used a couple fouls to give to deny Rutgers of a good shot and the Scarlet Knights were down by nine at halftime.
At the break, Iowa was outrebounding Rutgers, 21-11, and scored 16 points in transition. Rutgers shot just 13-of-33 in the first half. Meanwhile, Iowa, which broke several Big Ten Tournament records on in its win over Northwestern on Thursday, shot 45% from the floor and was 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.
To start the second half both teams traded buckets essentially for the first eight minutes. Rutgers couldn't get it down past an eight-point margin. Jordan Bohannon of Iowa made a long 3-pointer after Rutgers nearly came up with a loose ball. After a miss, Filip Rebraca made a bucket plus the foul in the paint, and then moments later, a technical foul was called on the Scarlet Knights' bench as frustration mounted. Bohannon made both free throws.
Iowa led by as many as 18 points with 10:19 left, but Rutgers went on a 11-2 run to get back into the game. Harper Jr. made two free throws, Caleb McConnell hit a 3-pointer and a jump shot, and Paul Mulcahy made two shots.
Iowa responded with a 7-0 run after a couple shots and dunks just wouldn't go down for Rutgers.
The game was chippy throughout with Rutgers strength and conditioning coach David Van Dyke and Iowa's Connor McCaffrey both getting ejected.
Murray led all scorers with 26 points.
For Rutgers, Baker netted 23 points, Omoruyi recorded 17, Harper Jr. and Mulcahy each notched 13.
Iowa was 25-of-27 from the foul line/
THE GOOD
Great start: Rutgers obviously hadn't played in the tournament yet since it obtained the No. 4 seed, and sometimes after not playing for a while a team can come out flat. Instead, Rutgers made seven of its first 10 shots to build a 15-5 early lead. The points came all over on 3-pointers, jump shots, layups, and dunks by the starting five.
Took care of the ball: Despite Rutgers struggling offensively as a whole, it committed only two turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play.
Showed fight: Rutgers battled Iowa nd the refs to the final whistle. It didn't get anything from its bench, and yet fought to the end, even showing desperation and taking accountability in the huddles.
THE BAD
Couldn't score vs. zone: Iowa started implementing a zone defense about midway through the half, and it really slowed down Rutgers' progress. The Scarlet Knights cooled off, going six minutes without a field goal. Meanwhile, Iowa went on a 15-1 run to take a 28-20 lead. The run stopped with an Omoruyi slam dunk. Rutgers got pretty good looks up, however it was 4-for-8 on layups come halftime.
Rebounding/transition points: Iowa dominated Rutgers on the glass. In the first 20 minutes alone, the Hawkeyes outrebounded the Scarlet Knights 21-11 and scored six second-chance points and a whopping 16 points on fast breaks. That was the difference.
TURNING POINT: Loose ball 3-pointer by Jordan Bohannon at the 15:03 mark in the second half. Rutgers was trying to chip away at Iowa's lead, and Bohannon hit a deep trey to keep Rutgers at bay.
RHOOPS PLAY OF THE GAME: Pick one of Omoruyi's dunk where he looked like Michael Jordan from Space Jam.
RUTGERS PLAYER OF THE GAME: Geo Baker
The fifth-year senior left it all out on the court. Baker poured in 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting including 4-for-6 from behind the arc.
ONE THING: Baker is at his best when his shots have a big arc to them. He had that going for him today.
UP NEXT: Rutgers awaits its fate on Selection Sunday to see if it made the NCAA Tournament for the second time in a row. Rutgers last made the tournament in back-to-back years just once in 1974-75 and 1975-76.
The Scarlet Knights miss a good chance to make the semifinals as they would have gotten Indiana next, which they've beaten five times in a row.
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
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