Rutgers Looking to Bounce Irish as March Madness Begins
They piled into buses, and then minutes later, piled onto a plane that took them to Dayton, Ohio, but the facts are for members of the Rutgers men’s basketball team, they are hoping it’s just one of many stops between now and New Orleans.
It’s that time of the year again. The time of the year to dream the impossible dream. Rutgers is one of 68 teams living that dream of getting to the Final Four in New Orleans in April. Of course getting there is the challenge. And doing so from RU’s position of starting off this tournament in a play-in game against Notre Dame just to get to the Round of 64 is a treacherous one.
But don’t tell these Scarlet Knights that.
At 18-13 with 12 conference wins, the Scarlet Knights have competed in one of the best conferences in the Nation. Nine teams from the Big Ten Conference are in this tournament, which shows any novice that the selection committee values good teams from good competitive conferences.
Piscataway, N.J.⏩🧳🚌✈️🚌⏩Dayton, Ohio#GardenStatement🛡️⚔️ pic.twitter.com/ZLDF3HMly6
— Rutgers Men’s Basketball 🏀 (@RutgersMBB) March 15, 2022
All Aboard‼️
— Rutgers Men’s Basketball 🏀 (@RutgersMBB) March 14, 2022
It’s time to 🕺‼️#GardenStatement🛡⚔️ pic.twitter.com/K0LvcGu0wU
The Scarlet Knights Starting Five @__RHJR, @wizcliff77, @Geo_Baker_1, @paulmulcahy_4 and @caleb_mcco react on Selection Sunday‼️
— Rutgers Men’s Basketball 🏀 (@RutgersMBB) March 14, 2022
We're Dancing to Dayton, Ohio🕺‼️#GardenStatement🛡️⚔️ pic.twitter.com/74c9W2zxsA
Rutgers will take on Norte Dame at 9 p.m. on Wednesday. The winner of the game will advance to the Round of 64 to square off with Alabama on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. in San Diego.
Throughout the course of this season, Rutgers has met one challenge after another. They found a way to beat Purdue, when it was ranked first in the Nation, by the count of 70-68, the night Ron Harper hit a game winning-buzzer beater in January.
Rutgers beat Iowa, Michigan, Clemson, and Maryland all at home. And when it mattered the most, the Scarlet Knights won four straight in February, all against ranked Big Ten teams, including a road game at Wisconsin.
They know what it’s like to have their collective backs to the wall.
Leading the way for Rutgers has been the likes of Ron Harper Jr. and Geo Baker on the offensive side, while Caleb McConnell, this year’s Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, has been a standout with his defensive ability to create steals. Clifford Omoruyi has been instrumental in causing disruptions inside the paint on both ends of the floor, and Paul Mulcahy has been a tremendous asset at point guard, both is setting up the offense and in scoring at opportune times.
They will pose a formidable challenge for a Norte Dame team that went 22-10 and was booted from the ACC Quarterfinals by Virginia Tech last weekend.
Players to watch on Norte Dame include: 6-foot-9 forward/center Paul Atkinson Jr. who not only averages 12 points per game, but leads the Irish in rebounds with seven boards per game. Managing him on the inside will be key.
Rutgers also has to be on the lookout for guard Blake Wesley, who leads Notre Dame in scoring with 14.6 points per game. Dane Goodwin, 13.9 points per game, will also pose a problem for the Scarlet Knights, should they choose to double-team Wesley.
If Rutgers is to pull out the victory, it will be the first time in program history that Rutgers has won an NCAA Tournament game in consecutive seasons, (RU beat Clemson 60-56 last season).
Rutgers is 13-20 all time against Notre Dame. The schools were once members of the Big East from 1995 to 2003.
Remember you can listen to the action exclusively on Fox Sports New Jersey 93.5 FM, 1450 AM.
