Rutgers fights to the finish, wins first NCAA Tourney game since 1983
Make its first NCAA Tournament in 31 years...check.
Win its first NCAA Tournament game in 38 years…check.
Tenth-seeded Rutgers men’s basketball defeated seventh-seeded Clemson, 60-56, in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament late Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN.
Emotion filled the faces of the players, coaches, and fans in the stands as Rutgers won its first NCAA Tournament game since 1983.
"This is a special unit. We feel like this is meant to be," Geo Baker said after the game. "For some of us we've been waiting two years for this moment. Guys stepped up. There's a whole lot of emotions but, at the same time we feel like this was meant to be, and we should be here. We have a lot of confidence with it as well. Everybody's really happy right now.
"The experience today, it's better than I imagined, honestly. This is something that we've all dreamed of for a really long time. To hear the Rutgers fans just going crazy and just knowing that we survived in advance in March, that's something that I've always just imagined, and it was crazier than than I ever pictured."
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A year ago on that very floor, Rutgers was called back to the locker room just before it was about to start its second round game of the Big Ten Tournament. That got cancelled as did the NCAA Tournament it was supposed to play in. The drought continued, and so Rutgers had to do it all over again.
It did and then some as it advances.
"We had to fight back this year and prove it again. Our guys did. I know they weren't happy and satisfied just being here. They want to keep playing," Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said. "They kind of took that approach. Had a great week at practice and had great energy before the game and even at halftime, even when we were down. They stayed the course, and got rewarded. So excited for them, and they're excited. It's a resilient group."
The Scarlet Knights overcame struggles shooting the ball (9-of-24 field goals including just 2-for-12 on 3-pointers) and 10 turnovers in the first half, and a four-point swing to the end the first half. In the final few seconds, Myles Johnson missed two attempts at the rim and Clyde Trapp went coast-to-coast and made a layup as the halftime buzzer sounded.
Rutgers made five of its first 10 shots, but ended the opening 20 minutes 1-of-4.
To open the second half, both teams appeared more comfortable with the moment and the arena as they each started out 3-for-5 before the under-16 timeout. Paul Mulcahy hit two threes during the time span.
A 9-0 run gave Rutgers a 43-37 advantage. McConnell hit a jab-step jump shot from the right side, Jacob Young swished a 3-pointer from the left wing, Ron Harper Jr. converted two foul shots and Young added a layup. The defense also held Clemson with no points for three minutes.
Nick Honor, who scored 30 points earlier in his career in a Fordham win over Rutgers, stopped the surge with a jumper, but McConnell followed his own missed triple and laid the ball in off glass.
Rutgers’ lead continued to climb as Mulcahy received a pass on a fastbreak from Young and notched a layup and McConnell hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to cap an 18-4 run to make it 50-39.
"He came in he had great energy right off the bat," Pikiell said. "I mean, get 13 points and 10 rebounds, he got three assists too and a steal. Very involved. He's a really good defender too and I know when I go through the tape, the defense that he played you'll really see some more things. Really excited about his minutes."
Clemson responded with a 10-0 run of its own as Aamir Simms recorded a conventional three-point play, Hunter Tyson made a 3-pointer, Jonathan Baehre had a one-handed put-back, and Hunter made another jump shot from straight on.
Without a point for over four minutes, Young hit a 3-pointer with confidence to make it 53-49 Rutgers.
Simms and Trapp came back with three-point plays to knot the score at 55-55 with 4:12 left.
Needing a bucket, Baker, like he’s done for four years, knocked down a three from the left corner off the in-bound to put the Scarlet Knights ahead 58-55.
Simms made a foul shot to make it 58-56.
Drama built as Rutgers missed four shots in a row and Clemson missed three straight. A travel on Simms gave the ball back to the Scarlet Knights with 36 seconds remaining.
Baker hit a layup with 10 seconds left as he followed the ball and was right place at the right time.
"I definitely tried to be a little too flashy. I tried to throw a no-look to Ron. I thought Simms was gonna bite a little bit. I just stayed with the play and got a layup," Baker said. "Our mentality too is that you know you never give up on the play, so just just happy that I got the finish right there."
Rutgers' defense showed up when it mattered most, as it held Clemson without a field goal the last 4:12 and just one point after Trapp’s layup and free throw.
"That's our identity. We said it before the game, we just said it after the game, our defense is going to carry us," Baker said. "The offense is going to come eventually. Defense wins championships. That's the bottom line. We got to continue to defend at a high level, and then shots will eventually fall."
"I think the last 3:50 I think we held them to one point so, I told our guys coming out of that timeout we got enough points to win just got to hold on and keep defending," Pikiell added. "We've been through a lot. It's been a two-year journey. I like the toughness and we toughed it out."
The Scarlet Knights finished shooting 40% from the field (23-of-58) and was 6-for-9 from the foul line. They out-rebounded the Tigers, 41-32, and committed only four turnovers in the second half.
"The second half we really settled down and didn't turn the basketball over. Figured out a way to win. We held the team to 56 points," Pikiell said. "We made some really big, timely baskets, had four guys and double figures, which is a good thing. We moved the ball in the second half. Excited to survive and advance in these situations."
The biggest highlight -- or poster -- for the Scarlet Knights occurred at the 12:26 mark in the first half when Harper Jr. dunked all over the Tigers off an assist from McConnell in transition.
Baker, Young, and McConnell all finished with 13 points with McConnell recording a double-double with 10 rebounds as well. Johnson also grabbed 10 boards, and got banged up a few times. Harper Jr. totaled 10 points. Mulcahy produced eight points and four assists. Baker also dished out three assists.
This marked the Scarlet Knights’ sixth all-time appearance in the Big Dance, and they now have a 6-7 record and counting. Rutgers is now 2-2 as a program against Clemson.
With the win, Rutgers will take on second-seeded Houston on Sunday.
"They're really good," Pikiell said. "They are a 2-seed and they got a great hall of fame-caliber coach. We'll get to work. My assistants have done an unbelievable job. Huge challenge for us. Talented team."
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
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