Big Ten Daily, Volume 5: Rutgers Looks Like the Real Deal

The Scarlet Knights are still unbeaten at home after dispatching Purdue Tuesday night, and they look like legitimate Big Ten contenders.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — It's 15 up and 15 down so far for Rutgers in the cozy confines of the Rutgers Athletic Center. The Scarlet Knights stayed perfect at home Tuesday night by beating Purdue 70-63, and it's looking more and more like they are the real deal.

Rutgers is now 7-3 in the Big Ten, and 16-5 overall, and it's the first time they've ever been four games over .500 since joining the league six years ago. They're just a half-game behind Michigan State and Illinois for the conference lead.

Most importantly, they look like they aren't going anywhere. They're that good, especially at home.

"They play hard and they play tough. It's difficult to play everywhere in this league. In 15 years, I don't to play anywhere. I want to play every game at Mackey Arena,'' Purdue coach Matt Painter said Tuesday night after the loss. "The guy I played for, Gene Keady, he used to say that if you expect to win on the road, you have to be 10 points better. This is definitely a place like that. The fans are great, they are right on top of you. And they have good players.

"You can have the best fans in the world, but if you don;t have good players, it doesn't matter. They're not only good enough to make the tournament, but they;re good enough to win games in the tournament. They're going to be a tough out.''

Looking Back: Tuesday's Games

• Michigan 79, Nebraska 68
• The skinny: The reeling Wolverines got a huge road win, beating the Cornhuskers with Zavier Simpson, who was suspended for a game. "It feels like a lot of pressure has been lifted off of our shoulders, but obviously we still have a lot of work to do," said Eli Brooks,  who led Michigan with 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists. "Coming up is a big stretch. There's a lot of momentum going into that with this win."
• Must-read Michigan story: First road win is a big one for Wolverines. 

• Rutgers 70, Purdue 63
• The skinny: Rutgers remained perfect at home and Purdue still hasn't a Big Ten road game this year, losing five straight. The Scarlet Knights are on the verge of making their first NCAA Tournament since 1991 during this magical season.
• GAME STORY: Rutgers dashes out to big lead, then hangs on for win.
• TOM BREW COLUMN: Road woes are putting Purdue in a perilous place

Looking Ahead: Wednesday's Games

• Northwestern at No. 14 Michigan State
• Time/TV: 6:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
• GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Tom Izzo talks about the matchup with the Wildcats

• Indiana at No. 24 Penn State
• Time/TV: 8:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
• GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Nuts and bolts on Indiana's matchup with Penn State

Upcoming Games This Week

• THURSDAY
• Minnesota at No. 19 Illinois, 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: FoxSports1)
• No. 18 Iowa at No. 15 Maryland, 8:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)

• FRIDAY
• No games

• SATURDAY
• Indiana at Ohio State, Noon ET (TV: ESPN)
• No. 14 Michigan State at Wisconsin, 1 p.m. ET (TV: FOX)
• No. 25 Rutgers at Michigan, 4:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
• No. 24 Penn State at Nebraska, 7 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)
• Purdue at Northwestern, 9 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)

• SUNDAY
• No. 19 Illinois at No. 18 Iowa, 1 p;m. ET (FoxSports1)

Big Ten Standings

Real-Time Big Ten Standings CLICK HERE

Previous Big Ten Daily Stories

• Big Ten Daily, Volume 1: It's a great Big Ten race that's wide open now
• Big Ten Daily, Volume 2: Illinois pulls rare road sweep trifecta
• Big Ten Daily, Volume 3: Road teams sweep all three Sunday games.
• Big Ten Daily, Volume 4: League mourns loss of Kobe Bryant

More Kobe Bryant Tributes 

Illinois: Brad Underwood on basketball idols. "There's tremendous appreciaton for greatness,'' he said. 

 

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