Rutgers let Michigan get away at MSG
It was like nothing had changed. It was a reminder that nothing has come easy, that nothing will come easy, that nothing is promised.
Rutgers ended Saturday with disappointment, like each of the previous 11 meetings with Michigan.
But after decades filled with defeats, Rutgers now truly has something to lose.
Two weeks after ending a 41-year drought outside the national polls, the No. 25 Scarlet Knights will likely rejoin the unranked masses following Saturday’s 69-63 loss to Michigan at Madison Square Garden.
Rutgers (16-6, 7-4 Big Ten), which had won 10 of its previous 12 games, highlighted its biggest roadblock to its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1991, falling to 1-6 away from campus.
The Scarlet Knights next visit No. 15 Maryland on Tuesday.
“This league is a monster,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. “Best league in the country, challenges come numerous. ... These are all new challenges for this young team. We’ll just keep fighting through them.”
Rutgers was given a gift by an overconfident national power. Michigan — returning to the Garden for the first time since winning the 2018 Big Ten Tournament — had sacrificed a home game to play in front of its strong alumni base in New York, unafraid of a team which hasn’t produced a winning season in 14 years.
But the Scarlet Knights’ unexpected success produced a sea of red in both bowls of the arena.
Rutgers went four-plus minutes without a point, enabling the Wolverines (13-8, 4-6) — who’d lost four of their previous five games — to go on an 11-0 run and stretch their lead to 14 with 9:17 remaining.
Despite leading scorers Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr. combining to shoot 2-of-19 from the field, Rutgers rallied back.
Following a seemingly endless string of misses, Baker put Rutgers down two with a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left, but Franz Wagner hit both ends of a one-and-one. Opportunity was lost. Many more remain. “We didn’t let anything slip,” Pikiell said. “We’re gonna have games like this. We’re gonna bounce back.”