Rutgers was able to bounce back from its loss to Miami with a big 63-48 victory over No. 10 Indiana at Jersey Mike’s Arena
Here are three thoughts after the game….
Welcome to the show Derek Simpson
After a scoreless first half, this felt like somewhat of a coming-out party for freshman Derek Simpson as he scored 14 points and willed the Scarlet Knights (6-2, 1-0 Big Ten) to victory. The biggest turning point of the game came when Rutgers went on a 19-2 run to take a 52-37 lead propelled by Simpson who, at one point, scored 10 straight points and sent Jersey Mike’s Arena into a frenzy.
“I still have much more to do and I am going to keep working and we're going to keep working as a team,” Simpson said. “It was a fun game and it got really loud, my ears are still ringing right now.”
In a game that was there for the taking, Simpson provided the type of spark the Scarlet Knights needed which is incredible to think about considering it was just his eighth-ever collegiate game. If the freshman can continue this type of play, not only does it open up a bounty of opportunities for Rutgers’ offense but it gives the scarlet faithful something to be excited about for years to come.
An excellent defensive showing
Although quality defense has become par for the course for Rutgers, this performance took things to another level as it held Indiana (7-1, 0-1 Big Ten) to its lowest point total as an AP top-10 team since 1983. Outside of Miller Kopp and Tracye Jackson-Davis combining for 34 points, nobody on the Hoosiers did much of anything as the Scarlet Knights held them to 30 percent shooting from the field and 6-25 from three.
“These guys did amazing stuff," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We played a great basketball team that was picked number one in the league for a reason. It’s a good team win and we had a lot of great contributions from everybody.”
Rutgers also showed toughness on the boards as it out-rebounded Indiana 47-33 with 17 of them coming offensively. No matter which statistic one looks at, the Scarlet Knights were the better team on this day and earned the win in a fashion they have become familiar with over the years, with grit, determination, and defense.
Acting like they have been there before
With the win, Rutgers has now taken six straight against Indiana and eight of its last nine. As chants of “Hoosier Daddy” and “overrated” rained down on the tenth-ranked Hoosiers, when the final buzzer sounded the capacity crowd did something one would have thought would be a pipe dream just a couple of years ago: left like it was business as usual.
“It's definitely an advantage to us," Caleb McConnell said. "Everyone talks about the other arenas, but I still to this day since my freshman year have been saying that we got the best arena in the Big Ten. You can't compare it to any other arena.”
It is a testament to what Pikiell has built within the confines of 83 Rockafeller Road to be able to knock off a top-10 team and not have his fanbase feel it warrants a court-storming. No longer is it a secret that Jersey Mike’s Arena is one of (if not the) toughest places to play, so if an opposing team is going to leave with the victory it is going to have to pack its lunch because it might be staying for a while.
Rutgers will return to action on Thursday when it travels to Value City Arena to take on No. 25 Ohio State at 7 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2.
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