Three Thoughts on Rutgers Basketball's 75-74 loss to Minnesota
Rutgers Basketball suffered a heartbreaking loss as it fell to Minnesota at the buzzer 75-74 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Here are three thoughts after the game….
AN EPIC COLLAPSE...
Following a pair of free throws from Cam Spencer, Rutgers (18-12, 10-9 Big Ten) took a 70-60 lead with 1:15 remaining and appeared to be on its way to locking up a third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. And then the unthinkable happened.
Not only did the Scarlet Knights allow Minnesota (8-20, 2-16 Big Ten) to score 15 points in one minute, but they did just about everything they could to ensure the comeback would be completed. Whether it was Spencer missing a free throw to keep it a 73-67 game with 36 seconds left, Paul Mulcahy turning the ball over multiple times, or Caleb McConnell missing a free throw leading to Jamison Battle’s game-winning three, the waning moments of the contest almost felt like a how-to on not how to finish a game.
“Obviously it was a very difficult game, I knew this would be a difficult game and we didn't finish it off,” head coach Steve Pikiell said. “We had turnovers, some missed free throws, some bad block outs, and just didn't finish. It's a very difficult way to end.”
WHAT COMES NEXT?
At this point trying to figure out how the Scarlet Knights fit into the tournament picture might require a bracketologist and a rocket scientist. On one hand, they have six quad wins with four coming on the road which, in most cases, would be enough to get the nod into the big dance. On the other hand, they now possess four Q3 losses and have the worst strength of record and schedule in the field.
“At the end of the year they decide who goes to the tournament. They don't do it after every game,” Pikiell continued. “I know everyone likes to talk about it after every game but we've done a lot of good things. We lost this game by one point with a few seconds left, lost the Ohio State game the same way, and have ten wins in this league and 18 overall.”
At the end of the day, Rutgers has seemingly left its tournament hopes in the hands of the selection committee which is a far cry from where it was about one month ago. However, it can change all of that with a win against Northwestern on Sunday but it will be an uphill climb considering the Wildcats come into it looking to snag a double-bye in the Big Ten tournament.
A QUALITY PERFORMANCE FROM OMORUYI...
In a game that will likely have a negative connotation for years to come, one nugget of positivity that came out if it was the performance of Cliff Omoruyi. Finishing with 23 points and 11 rebounds, one could argue this was Omoruyi’s best showing of the season.
“You got a group in there that's worked really hard,” Pikiell said. “They had chances here but this is how it is in this league, you better get ready for the next game and you still have a few more games left here down the stretch.”
If the Scarlet Knights are going to salvage any type of goodwill going forward, they will need Omoruyi to continue putting up stat lines like this and hope their other veterans can do the same as well. However, it is hard not to come away from this game feeling like Rutgers’ bubble might have burst whether it hears its name called on Selection Sunday or not.
Rutgers will close out the regular season on Sunday when it faces Northwestern at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on BTN.
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