Rutgers proved that it not only deserves to be in the NCAA Tournament, but that it shouldn’t have to make a pitstop in Dayton to do so.
Friday’s 70-65 loss to Purdue in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament was as close to a moral victory as they come. For a Rutgers team that closed out the regular season with three losses in their last four games, they got some momentum back to their season during the conference tournament.
It was another strong effort from freshman Derek Simpson, who looked like a veteran in both Big Ten Tournament games that he played for Rutgers. Simpson led Rutgers with 18 points, adding in a team-high three steals to go along with two rebounds and an assist.
Down one at halftime, Rutgers held a 42-41 lead with 11:46 left in the game. Purdue would go on a 9-4 run, boosted by two successful three points shots by David Jenkins Jr.
While a win would have been the obvious ideal outcome for Rutgers, Friday’s performance on short rest against the Big Ten’s top team in the regular season should be enough to solidify their standing for the NCAA Tournament.
This isn’t a bubble team, not after these two performances in the Big Ten Tournament.
Scroll down and check out the best photos from Friday’s Big Ten Tournament game against top-seeded Purdue!