Rutgers Versus the World
NEW YORK CITY, NY – For one reason or another March is my favorite month of the year. The madness sets in and conference tournaments become the setting for fierce competition. Madison Square Garden hosted the Big 10 tournament this year. Many of the country’s high profile programs competed for the title including Ohio State, Michigan State, Perdue and Indiana. The program that shocked me most was Rutgers. They were the underdog coming into the tournament but competed and showed a lot of confidence on the big stage.
Opening night Rutgers (14) matched up with Minnesota (11), who were a scrappy team full of high energy players. Both the Scarlet Knights and the Golden Gophers were both 1-10 in their past 11 games. Although both teams were struggling coming into the tournament they both had great players who were capable of making this an entertaining matchup. These two teams met earlier in the season, Minnesota crushed Rutgers 89-67. So Rutgers came out with a sense of redemption facing Minnesota once again in the Big 10 Tournament. After all, Rutgers’ last NCAA bid came in 1991 so they had a bit of a chip on their shoulder to come out on the winning end. Both teams dreaming of winning the tournament and that automatic bid to the NCAA tournament that comes along with it.
Rutgers guard Mike Williams (5) shoots as Minnesota forward Michael Hurt (42) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the first round of the Big Ten men’s tournament Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018, in New York. Rutgers defeated Minnesota 65-54. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
The game started out fast with both teams working out some nerves. Corey Sanders of Rutgers came out shooting and managed to score 15 of the teams 34 first half points. Minnesota’s Isaiah Washington and Nate Mason led the way for the gophers in the first half amassing 8 and 9 first half points respectively. Minnesota simply had a rough time getting baskets as they shot 29% in the first half. The Scarlet Knights shot 41% from the field in the first half and aimed to keep the pressure on the Gophers. It was a pretty close first half with Rutgers slightly edging Minnesota by a score of 34-27.
The second half was all Scarlet Knights. They controlled the glass and out rebounded their opponents the entire game. This advantage on the boards gave them a 17-2 edge in second chance points. The only bright spot for Minnesota was the play of New York native, freshman point guard Isaiah Washington. He scored 18 points and he seems to be getting very comfortable with playing back home in NYC on the big stage.
Freshmen Guards Isaiah Washington (L) and Geo Baker (R) battle for a loose ball. Photo Chicago Tribune
Rutgers junior guard Corey Sanders was the star of the game pouring in a game high 23 Points and pulling down 7 rebounds. He is the emotional anchor of the team and the team responded well to his leadership. He leads by example and sacrifices everything for the good of the team. With under 2 minutes on the clock, Rutgers fought off a Gopher run with a long range dagger from the top of the key by Sanders. This was the shot that pretty much sealed their fate and advanced them to the next round of play.
Rutgers was officially in Cinderella mode as they were the 14th seed playing versus higher ranked opponents. Their next test would be a feisty Indiana Hoosiers squad who boasted a #6 ranking. Indiana came out gunning and came out to an early 8-0 lead to start the game. Less than 8 minutes into the game the Scarlet Knights trailed by a margin of 17-3. This led Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell to call his 2nd time out of the game. They seemed non interested in the game and lacked focus. There was no ball movement and there seemed to be a lack of communication. Finally Deshawn Freeman started to wake the Scarlet Knights up. He then got some help as Geo Baker hit a contested 3 pointer and Corey Sanders scored. A Sanders steal and emphatic dunk not only woke up their team but woke up the crowd as well. The Scarlet Knights got themselves back in the game and found themselves in a great position finally getting their first lead of the game going into halftime up by 1 point 29-28.
Sanders rallies the troops past a strong Indiana Hoosiers team in the second round of the Big 10 Tournament. Photo Asbury Press
The second half seemed to be more of the same from Rutgers. They were all talking and lifting each others spirits on the court. They intensified their defensive pressure and simply outworked Indiana for every loose ball and every rebound. Corey Sanders again put the offense on his back and made timely baskets for the Scarlet Knights. They managed to hold off the Hoosier runs and escaped with a 76-69 victory. Sanders led all scorers with 28 points and 3 assists. The Scarlet Knights shot 58% from the field while Indiana shot 29%. They simply couldn’t put the ball in the basket. That is the easy explanation why Rutgers moved on and why Indiana got sent packing.
The last couple of games we went on a little run, made some history, Sanders said. Nobody expected us to win one game. To win two and push Purdue to the max, that’s a great accomplishment.
The next challenge that faced the Rutgers Scarlet Knights is a battle with the No. 8 ranked Perdue Boilermakers. Perdue has a deep team who are very active at the defensive end of the floor. Their guard play is extremely solid and they have a number of guys who can step up at any time during a game. Regardless of this, Rutgers actually led by 3 points at the half. They out rebounded Perdue and forced 7 first half turnovers that translated into Rutgers points. The Scarlet Knights also shot 58% from the field during the first half. Early into the 2nd half Pmthe Boilermakers tightened up and managed to extend to a slight lead. They held onto this lead and Rutgers just couldn’t get anything going in the 2nd half. The two Perdue 7 footers clogged the paint and Rutgers jumpshots weren’t falling consistently. Perdue tandem of Carsen Edwards and Vincent Edwards sealed the deal for Perdue. Carsen Edwards had 26 points and buried Rutgers when he hit both free throws of a one-and-one with 29 seconds left. 21 of those 26 came in the 2nd half. Vincent Edwards also scored 26 in the win for Perdue. This combination led to an early demise and end to Rutgers’ Cinderella run. Freshman Geo Baker scored 25 for Rutgers, and junior Corey Sanders added 23.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights put up a good fight but lost to Perdue in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Photo onthebanks.com
Will Corey Sanders return to Rutgers for his senior season? It’s no doubt that he will be a pro when he finally declares for the draft. After the loss he will spend some time with family and weigh his options. If he does declare anytime between now and the April 22nd early entry deadline he would be no longer eligible to return to college.
Per the terms of the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement , “a player shall not be entitled to withdraw from more than two NBA Drafts.” Sanders tested the waters after his freshman and sophomore years, and can’t test the waters a third time.
The question on the minds of the entire Rutgers Scarlet Knights community is whether or not Corey Sanders will take his talents to the NBA and forgo his senior year. Photo Midland Daily News
He simply is the player that the Scarlet Knights depend on, night after night, to get them wins. He is the emotional leader of this program and everybody knows it. He can singlehandedly take over a game at a moments notice and he embraces those moments. He embraces the challenge and loves to play on the big stage. He knows that these are going to be the best times of his life and lives to the fullest. That’s what sets him apart from the rest.