Indiana Basketball Aiming To Avoid Letdown, Snap 6-Game Skid Against Rutgers

Indiana secured a big win over No. 1 Purdue on Saturday, but the Hoosiers will have to refocus as No. 24 Rutgers brings a stingy defense to Assembly Hall on Tuesday.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Mike Woodson knows a big win only goes so far.

After defeating No. 1 Purdue 79-74 on Saturday, Woodson enjoyed the win for a moment, but then it was time to focus on the next opponent. 

"It means a lot," Woodson said. "But it don't mean anything unless you can validate it."

That was a struggle in year one under Woodson, and it's a way Indiana can show growth as a program in year two. The highest-ranked opponent Indiana beat last season was No. 4 Purdue on Jan. 20, but the Hoosiers followed it up with a major letdown at home, losing 80-62 to Michigan. 

Indiana finds itself a similar situation this year. The Hoosiers gave Purdue its second loss of the season over the weekend, and the No. 24 Rutgers Scarlet Knights arrive in Bloomington for a pivotal Big Ten showdown, which tips off at 6:30 p.m. ET.

"Our next game is against Rutgers, a team that we've struggled against that's kind of had their way," Woodson said on Saturday. You know, we've got to start preparing and preparing for them now. This [Purdue] game is behind us. I told the guys, they can celebrate for about an hour, and then we've got to start thinking about Rutgers.

Rutgers holds an 8-4 record in Big Ten play, good for second place behind 11-2 Purdue. After that, six teams – Indiana, Illinois, Northwestern, Maryland, Iowa and Michigan – each stand at 7-5 in Big Ten play. The Scarlet Knights are the only team besides Indiana to beat Purdue, and they did so in a 65-64 win at Mackey Arena on Jan. 2.

Indiana has struggled against Rutgers as much as any opponent in recent years. Since Trayce Jackson-Davis became a Hoosier before the 2019-20 season, Indiana is 0-6 against Rutgers with four losses by nine or more points. Jackson-Davis beat Wisconsin for the first time in his Indiana career earlier this year, and Tuesday could be his final chance to beat the Scarlet Knights. 

“Coach Woody always says, 'You can’t get too high, and you can’t get too low,' so I think that’s big for us," Jackson-Davis said. "[Rutgers] has tendencies that we’ve got to take away, and they’re a really good team."

Jackson-Davis' teammate and best friend Race Thompson is the only active Hoosier to beat Rutgers. As a redshirt freshman during the 2018-19 season, Indiana defeated Rutgers 89-73 on March 10 at Assembly Hall behind 25 points from Juwan Morgan and 20 points from Romeo Langford.

But since then, it's been all Rutgers. A stingy Rutgers defense suffocated Indiana in a 63-48 win in Piscataway, N.J. on Dec. 3, so Tuesday's matchup at Assembly Hall is a prime opportunity for Indiana to avenge that loss.

This year's Rutgers team follows the same defensive identity as team that have beaten Indiana in the past – Rutgers' defense allows a Big Ten-low 59.3 points per game – but there are definite differences.

Last year's leading scorers Ron Harper Jr. and Geo Baker are gone, and Rutgers announced on Tuesday that forward Mawot Mag will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Mag started all 23 games for Rutgers this season and averaged 7.8 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Loyola-Maryland transfer Cam Spencer has been an impactful addition to the back court. Spencer, a 6-foot-4 senior, is averaging 12.8 points, 3.6 assists and 2.3 steals while shooting 42 percent from 3-point range. 

Forward Clifford Omoruyi is back for his third season and leads Rutgers with 13.4 points and 10 rebonds per game. In the first matchup this season, Omoruyi fouled out with six points and nine rebounds. 

Reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Caleb McConnell was on the Rutgers team that lost to Indiana back in 2019, and he's in the midst of arguably his best season as a fifth-year senior. McConnell led Rutgers with 16 points and 10 rebounds in its win over Indiana in December, and he's averaging a career-high 9.8 points with 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game. 

Rounding out the starting lineup is 6-foot-6 senior Paul Mulcahy, who contributes 9.3 points, 4.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game. He's increased his 3-point percentage from 34.7 to 41.2 this season and plays a key role for Rutgers, defensively. 

For Jackson-Davis, there are lessons to be learned for Indiana's loss at Rutgers back in December as he goes for his first-career win over the Scarlet Knights. 

"Just our defensive intensity, honestly," Jackson-Davis said. "They're a great team. They play very, very hard on defense and they bring that trap kind of like Purdue did [Saturday], so we've just got to make adjustments, watch film and then get ready for them."

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• NATIONAL MEDIA COMMENTS ON INDIANA: Indiana claimed what many said to be the biggest win of the week in college basketball, defeating No. 1 Purdue 79-74 on Saturday at Assembly Hall. Here's what national media members said about the win. CLICK HERE
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