An NCAA Tournament bid feels inevitable for Rutgers. Beating teams that are firmly in the dance is another story — at least recently.
The Scarlet Knights’ four-game winning streak against the middle of the Big Ten didn’t change that. They fell back to earth against a top opponent Wednesday night, losing 79-66 to No. 15 Iowa in a one-sided affair.
“The league is really good, and it’s especially really challenging on the road,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said over Zoom. “You got to play better than we played tonight.”
With the loss, No. 25 Rutgers (11-7, 7-7 Big Ten) dropped to 2-5 against the top six teams in the loaded conference. Fortunately, the Scarlet Knights have to face that group just once more, at No. 3 Michigan next Thursday.
Early foul woes — starting center Myles Johnson logged just 10 minutes after picking up three first-half fouls — and shaky shooting dug a deep early hole from which the Scarlet Knights couldn’t climb out. They trailed by 13 in the first half and 14 early in the second half.
“They’re the best offensive team in the league, and our defense wasn’t up to where it needed to be today,” Pikiell said. “We just have to play better than this.”
Iowa’s National Player of the Year front-runner, Luka Garza, was inefficient, needing 20 shots to get his 22 points. Teammate Joe Wieskamp, however, exploded for 26 points, and the Hawkeyes (14-6, 8-5) outscored Rutgers, 33-18, from 3-point range.
More disconcerting to Pikiell was the glass, where Rutgers was outrebounded 42-31, and the free-throw line, where Iowa went 14 more times. Those categories were both points of emphasis entering the game. That the Scarlet Knights settled for 28 3-point attempts, and made just six of them, didn’t help matters.
“We need to go to the free-throw line to set up our defense, and we never got a chance to do that,” Pikiell said. “You don’t get to the free-throw line when you shoot 3s.”
The best that could be said for Rutgers at halftime was it had escaped the first half without getting blown out, trailing 34-25 at the intermission. The Scarlet Knights missed 20 of their first 25 shots, went 1-for-11 from 3-point range and committed seven turnovers. They also dealt with significant foul trouble to its top two big men, Johnson and Cliff Omoruyi.
“[Johnson] never really got involved in the game,” Pikiell said. “We need Myles.”
Rutgers didn’t start the second half any better than it did the first. It quickly saw the deficit return to double figures, as Iowa regained command and really never relinquish it. Rutgers got as close as six midway through the second half, but Iowa answered with consecutive Garza baskets and was never really in danger again.
“The effort was there, everybody wanted to win the game,” said senior Geo Baker, who led Rutgers with 11 points. “But we just didn’t play smart enough.”
Despite the setback, Rutgers remains in good position to go dancing for the first time since 1991. A soft landing spot against Northwestern awaits on Saturday. Then, another shot against a top foe in Michigan. This one loss didn’t shake its confidence.
“We felt like we’ve been in every single game with these top teams,” Baker said. “We know how good we are.”
