NCAA Basketball: Big Ten record bids, Baylor as #1, and more weekly takeaways

4) Rutgers is legitimately good

1991.

That is the last time Rutgers made the NCAA Tournament, a run that has lasted nearly three full decades. However, it doesn’t look like it’s going to last longer than that.

Despite the Scarlet Knights’ loss to Illinois on Saturday, they are 12-4 on the season and have proven every step of the way that their record is legitimate.

An early-season loss to St. Bonaventure signaled more of the same may be on the way for Rutgers, as did back-to-back double-digit losses to Pitt and Michigan State, which dropped them to 6-3. Yet since then, the Scarlet Knights seem to have found new life.

They beat Wisconsin at home immediately following that loss to the Spartans, and then they follow that up with a 20-point thrashing of in-state rival Seton Hall. For the first time in what has felt like forever, the program had serious momentum.

That momentum continued this week when they beat Penn State 72-61 at The RAC, marking their second victory over a top 25 team this season. And they did so without Geo Baker, arguably their best player.

So what is driving this turnaround in Piscataway? Elite defense has been the major reason, as the Scarlet Knights have held 12 of their opponents under 70 points. They’re 11-1 in those games, compared to just a 1-3 mark when the opponent crosses that threshold.

Rutgers does that by limiting opponents’ three-point attempts, pressuring them outside to force them inside the arc. That is where their size, physicality, and toughness really shines – they rank in the top 20 in the country in block percentage and two-point defense.

The Scarlet Knights have a well-balanced attack, too, led by Baker, Ron Hunter Jr., and Texas transfer Jacob Young. In total, seven players average at least seven points per game, and that kind of balance makes them tough to defend.

Rutgers hasn’t had this kind of start since they went undefeated and made the Final Four in 1976. It doesn’t look like they’ll repeat that run but, thanks to their balance and defense, an NCAA Tournament bid seems very likely. Harkins currently has the Scarlet Knights projected to be a No. 7 seed.