The Hottest Two Week Stretch of the NCAAB Season
Entering February, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights’ March Madness hopes were slim. On February 1st, they lost in overtime at Northwestern 78-79, falling to an inept 12-9 on the season. This loss felt like the final nail in the coffin to Rutgers missing out on the 2022 NCAA Tournament after making their first and only March Madness appearance last season. After the loss to Northwestern, the Scarlet Knights were projected as having just a 4.2% chance at being a part of the tournament field… but then something amazing happened.
Rutgers went on to dismantle #13 Michigan State 84-63. They then had a come-from-behind victory over #16 Ohio State, taking the lead late and closing out the game with back-to-back blocks to win 66-64. These were both great wins, raising their record to 14-9, but now they had to go on the road to an elite #14 Wisconsin team. Led by Ron Harper Jr.’s 21 points and 6 rebounds, Rutgers were able to stun Wisconsin with a 73-65 road victory and the Rutgers were beginning to get some national attention. Rutgers added their 4th straight win against a ranked opponent when they handled #12 Illinois 70-59, completing one of the most impressive resume building stretches in the NCAA this season.
Rutgers’ Front-Court is Dominating
The guard play for Rutgers has been very solid this season with Geo Baker and Paul Mulcahy combining for 21.3 points, 9.6 assists, and 6.5 rebounds a game. 6’7” guard, Caleb McConnell has also been elite defensively, averaging 2.4 steals per game. His 2.4 mark is good for 9th in the NCAA. The Rutgers starting guards have 12 total seasons of experience under their belt and all three of them are sound role players.
Where this team truly shines however is in the front-court. Ron Harper Jr., son of former NBA player Ron Harper, has turned into a star for Rutgers. RHJ leads the team in points per game (15.7), made free throws (85), and three-point percentage (41.1%). Additionally, Harper Jr. shines brightest in the biggest games, most notably when had a 30-point, 10-rebound outburst against #1 ranked Purdue to give them their first loss of the season on his iconic half-court buzzer-beater.
RHJ’s front-court mate and true center, Clifford Omoruyi, is the other biggest reason as to why Rutgers have had this late season surge. In the last 5 games, Omoruyi is averaging 15.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game on a jaw-dropping 71.1% shooting. He also has 2+ blocks in 10 of his last 11 games. The 6’11” sophomore from Nigeria is improving weekly and has drastically increased Rutgers ceiling.
Will the Scarlet Knights’ Resume be Enough?
Now holding a 16-9 record and after adding four impressive conference wins in the last two weeks, Rutgers are listed as having a 44.2% chance to make March Madness at the moment. Along with this, the Scarlet Knights are 6-3 in QUAD 1 games which ties them for 9th in the entire nation for QUAD 1 wins (vs Purdue, vs Iowa, and the four games mentioned above). This puts them on par with Gonzaga (6-2), Villanova (6-5), and Texas Tech (6-6), all of which are locks to make the tournament.
Rutgers have a NET ranking of 75, RPI ranking of 82, and are a projected #9 seed right now if they were to hear their name on Selection Sunday. They have big games still to play against #5 Purdue and the rematch against Wisconsin, however Ron Harper Jr. did suffer a hand injury in their win against Illinois and is questionable to play against Purdue on Sunday. His health is a huge situation to monitor as if Rutgers can add one more top-25 win to their resume, they are in a great spot to go dancing.