Three Thoughts on Rutgers Hoops win over Northwestern
Following their 13-point loss at Iowa, Rutgers was able to bounce back with a 14-point win and complete the season sweep against Northwestern 64-50. Rutgers (12-7, 8-7 Big Ten) has also won five of their last six with five games left to play before the Big Ten tournament.
Here are three thoughts after the game:
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Defense, Defense, And More Defense
While the Scarlet Knights did not light the world on fire offensively, this was the type of game that leaves Head Coach Steve Pikiell grinning from ear to ear as his squad was able to lock down defensively and hold the Wildcats to their lowest point total of the season so far.
“I thought we were locked in and to hold them to a season-low is a really good sign for us moving forward,” Pikiell said in his postgame press conference. “I love the fact that we were connected in the rebounding area, Caleb [McConnell] got us 7 and Myles [Johnson], and when Ron [Harper Jr.] rebounds and gets to the free-throw line good things happen for us and he did both of those things today.”
Despite the team’s three-point shooting woes continuing, the Scarlet Knights were efficient on shots inside the arc and made the most of their trips to the charity stripe as they sank 14 of their 16 free-throw attempts. Rutgers was also able to out rebound Northwestern 43-31 with 14 of them coming from big man Myles Johnson who secured his sixth double-double of the season.
Better Call Paul
If anybody is the living embodiment of the toll the Big Ten season takes on a person it is Paul Mulcahy. Whether it is breaking his nose after running into Luka Garza’s elbow (which inexplicably led to a foul on Mulcahy) or playing through a dislocated finger, the sophomore point guard is displaying the type of warrior mentality that true leaders are made of.
“Paul’s been playing with a finger that was dislocated and he’s got a broken nose,” Pikiell said. “He’s tough as can be and he was ready to go today so he does a lot of things for us, a lot of things that you don’t read in the box score and he’s one of the toughest guys I’ve ever coached.”
While Mulcahy’s score sheet might not jump off the page, he was able to do a little bit of everything to help Rutgers seal this win and move one step closer to their first NCAA Tournament in 30 years. Much like junior guard Caleb McConnell, Mulcahy can bring about a solid and calming presence anytime he steps onto the floor for the Scarlet Knights.
Avoiding A Potential Landmine
While there are no easy games in the Big Ten, this was a game that Rutgers had to have with third-ranked Michigan looming on the horizon. The Wildcats came into it as losers of their last 10 so a defeat here not only would have done some serious damage to their tournament hopes but placed them in a bad situation with five regular-season games left to go.
“I thought it was a really good basketball game today,” Pikiell said. “I thought Northwestern played really well and I thought our defense was really, really good.”
Going forward, outside of the Wolverines each of Rutgers’ remaining regular-season opponents are currently unranked. So while every game in this league seems to be a battle, the Scarlet Knights can go into it feeling like they have a decent shot to walk away with the win.
Rutgers will return to action Thursday, Feb. 18 when they travel to the Crisler Center to take on Michigan at 9 p.m. (ET) on FS1.