There is no doubt that over the past week, Rutgers basketball has dramatically improved their NCAA Tournament stock. They showing in the Big Ten Tournament certainly appears to be a plus for the Scarlet Knights.
ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi now has Rutgers as a No. 11 seed in the Midwest part of the bracket. The opponent for Rutgers in the first round? No. 6 San Diego State
It is good news and a shift in outlook for Rutgers basketball given that at the beginning of the week, Lunardi had Rutgers as one of his ‘Last Four In’ and needing a play-in game to enter the field proper.
Now, Lunardi projects that Rutgers is properly in the bracket. In the latest NET Rankings on Saturday, Rutger is in a solid spot at No. 40.
San Diego State is 21-6 on the season and won the Mountain West Championship on Saturday in a tight 62-57 game with Utah State (No. 19 in the NET Rankings).
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The Big Ten Tournament was solid for Rutgers basketball, lifting them in the NET Rankings and also helping them win the eyeball test. They beat Michigan, another bubble team, by double digits behind a strong defensive performance in the second half. And they narrowly lost to Purdue, the Big Ten’s top regular season team, in a game where they held a lead at the midway point of the second half.
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