Rutgers fans can rest easy.
The men’s Rutgers Scarlet Knights basketball program will likely make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991. After losing six of seven, the Scarlet Knights appear back on track by winning two in a row after a 67-37 statement victory over Michigan State on Thursday night.
They improved to 9-6 on the season and most importantly, they are 5-6 in conference play. They should be good enough to reach 18 wins that should catapult them to the tournament. Winning five or more Big Ten games should give them the benefit of the doubt after winning 11 of their 20 Big Ten games last season. They played their way to the tournament last season until COVID-19 made its way to the world that forced NCAA to cancel the entire season.
Rutgers fans panicked, but the fifth-year Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell and the players did not. They know the Knights are good enough that they would be fine. Unlike the fans, they understand it’s a long season, especially in a tough Big Ten conference that features teams that grind it out. Outside of Michigan, most of the Big Ten teams have been up and down.
Michigan State is going through what Rutgers experienced a few weeks ago. The Spartans struggled lately, and it hasn’t helped their two college basketball games were postponed because of COVID-19.
The Spartans looked out of sorts from the start, and the Scarlet Knights took advantage of it by getting off to a 15-0 start that ballooned to a 22-9 lead. Sure Michigan State made it interesting at times such as trailing 26-20 at the half, but the Scarlet Knights were too much for them on this night. Pikiell’s team played like the better team in a sense they drove to the rim to score and they got all the loose balls and rebounds.
Michigan State played like a team that started anew for intents and purposes. The Scarlet Knights needed this game more than their opponent since they needed a win to back up a much-needed win against Indiana on the road.
Rutgers will play Northwestern on Sunday. You figure that’s a win since the Wildcats are 6-8 and 3-7 in conference play. But then again, anything goes in the Big Ten as Michigan State found out by losing to the same Wildcats. Rutgers is the better team, though. This presents an opportunity for the team to get on a three-game winning streak to keep stabilizing things.
The Scarlet Knights play four more games at home, and they play Nebraska. This could be enough for them to make the tournament.
They should be good enough to play in it. This is the same roster from last season. Geo Baker, Ron Harper Jr, Myles Johnson and Paul Mulchay are polished after going through the rigors of last season. Pikiell built a culture from the day he got the job that the team would grind-it-out and play defense.
Rutgers earned the benefit of the doubt for what it accomplished last season. Pikiell knows what he is doing, and he has a feel for the players to know that he did not have to panic. It’s a sign of a great coach right there.
Fans are going to be fans. They overreact after a losing streak. Shoot, they overreact after a loss these days with the advent of Twitter.
Fortunately for Rutgers, the players and coaches behave like adults rather than act like fans. That’s an example of a culture change right there. It wasn’t the case before Pikiell arrived.
The Scarlet Knights can’t take it easy just because they won two in a row, but they don’t need to answer questions anymore about whether they would blow their tournament appearance. The more losses come, the more questions pop out to the point it could wear on the players.
The Knights can now get back to the business of enjoying the season and finishing the season strong with more wins.
If nothing else, the fans learned something about these Knights.
It’s a long season, and the Knights are equipped to handle the highs and lows. They are an even-keel team.
It served them well by winning the last two games, and it should serve them well when the Scarlet Knights get selected on Selection Sunday.
