3/10/2023 basketball Edit

TKR Takeaways: More on Purdue's tough win over Rutgers at B1G Tournament

Chris Nalwasky • TheKnightReport

Beat Writer

And now we wait.

Ninth-seeded Rutgers fell to top-seeded Purdue, 70-65, in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday afternoon at the United Center in Chicago.

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Here are a few quick takeaways from the game. Rutgers led by 12 points in the first half while Purdue opened up an eight point lead in the second.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Cam Spencer (10) is congratulated by guard Derek Simpson (0) after scoring against the Purdue Boilermakers during the first half at United Center. (Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports)

SWARMING EDEY

Big Ten Player of the Year, center Zach Edey, is a monster standing at 7-foot-3. The Scarlet Knights did a solid job containing him with double teams and getting steals. Cliff Omoruyi was there being physical at the start, and then others came to help. The officials let the Scarlet Knights get in position.

SHOOTING HIS SHOT

Paul Mulcahy had struggled entering the Big Ten Tournament. Not only was he not shooting the all well and making mistakes in many facets on the floor, he was being very passive. Mulcahy got Rutgers going against Michigan a day earlier, and made two big 3-pointers as the underdogs built a 12-point lead at 17-5. Mulcahy had eight points on 3-of-4 field goals with three assists and three rebounds.

TIMELY 3-POINT SHOOTING

First and foremost, Purdue wants to establish Edey on the inside. It made just one of its initial seven shots from behind the arc and was just 2-of-10 at halftime, but a 3-pointer by Mason Gillis with three seconds left gave Purdue momentum. Purdue made three in a row to take a 50-46 lead. Those were key in Purdue gaining some steam.

FOUL CALLS

The game started to turn when the Scarlet Knights got called for four fouls in just 14 seconds including two on Omoruyi to give him four with 8:03 to go. Meanwhile, Edey blatantly pushed Antwone Woolfolk twice in the back and he wasn't called for anything. Edey finished the play with a dunk that shouldn't have counted. Caleb McConnell fouled out when he grabbed the ball out of a Purdue player's hands with 2:12 left. Purdue had just 15 fouls to Rutgers' 26 and made 19 free throws on 14 more attempts.

FEARLESS SIMPSON

By now everyone will say Derek Simpson isn't a freshman anymore. He earned his second-straight start and played 27 minutes, guiding Rutgers with 18 points. He wasn't efficient scoring, but he gave it his all getting to the rim, playing defense, and skying up for rebounds. He only officially had two boards, but he didn't care if he was trying to grab the basketball against Edey. Simpson gives Rutgers an edge, and he had three steals, too. Simpson has given Rutgers a jolt in the later stages of the season.

THIS IS MARCH

A five-loss to a high Quadrant 1 team on a neutral court isn't going to damage the Scarlet Knights NCAA Tournament resume. A win would have been nice, Rutgers led by 12 and didn't give in once Purdue led by eight in the second half. It kept pushing. The Scarlet Knights found their defensive identity again and played better offensively these last two games. A slight loss like this only helps (obviously a win would have been gigantic) Rutgers' chances. It'll depend on any other bid stealers, but Rutgers was considered a No. 11 seed per Bracket Matrix entering today. The analytics and metrics favor Rutgers and it's NET of 38th and KenPom ranking of 35th shouldn't drop too much.