My Two Cents: Another Rutgers Road Trip With Spotlight on Indiana Guards

Indiana plays at Rutgers on Tuesday night, and the Hoosiers have lost three straight there to the snarky Scarlet Knights. Last year, IU was favored by still lost by 15 when every guard had a horrible night. That can't happen again. My column.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — When Rutgers joined the Big Ten a decade ago, I never saw it coming that they would develop something of a rivalry with Indiana, with a lot of sniping and disrespect coming from both sides. 

This is Indiana, after all. And that's Rutgers.

But from March 2018 until the end of last season, Rutgers won eight of nine games against the Hoosiers, and they trash-talked every step of the way — which was perfectly fair. They earned that right, because those wins weren't flukes. They pushed and shoved and defended and attacked the basket every game.

They deserved to win, because they were better. And they let you know it. Guys like Caleb McConnell and Gio Baker and Ron Hunter Jr. absolutely loved beating Indiana.

A year ago, the Hoosiers came to New Jersey in early December to play Rutgers. It was their first Big Ten game, and they were 7-0 at the time, ranked No. 10 in the country and had just blown out preseason No. 1 North Carolina  in Bloomington.

Indiana was a 3-point favorite — but got their doors blown off. Rutgers crushed the Hoosiers, 63-48, and completely suffocated Indiana with its defense. Freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino couldn't play because of a back injury, and Indiana really missed him.

The 48 points was Indiana's lowest output of the season. The loss was so ugly because none of Indiana's guards did anything. It was the worst night of the season collectively, and it was tough on the eyes to watch.

I bring it up only because we're here in New Jersey again, and the storyline remains the same. Indiana is 11-4 this year and 3-1 in the Big Ten, but for Indiana to be successful its guards have to play well.

It's the difference between winning and losing.

Last year's loss here was tough, because Hood-Schifino was a last-minute scratch with his back injury. Trey Galloway got the start alongside point guard Xavier Johnson, and both were brutal. Tamar Bates and C.J. Gunn didn't give Indiana coach Mike Woodson anything off the bench.

Here's how bad the four guards played:

• XAVIER JOHNSON: The senior guard was just 2-for-11 shooting from the field, scored only eight points and had six turnovers. With Hood-Schifino, he tried to do too much — a bad trait we've seen too often on his bad nights.
• TREY GALLOWAY: Galloway played 31 minutes and didn't score a single point. He missed all three field goal attempts and both free throws. It was disappointing, because he had 11 the game before against North Carolina and 20 the following game against Nebraska. But at Rutgers, he did nothing.
• TAMAR BATES: Bates, who's at Missouri now, played 18 minutes — some in a three-guard set — and was just 1-for-7 from the field. He missed all three 3-point attempts and scored just two points.
• C.J. GUNN: Gunn only played two-plus minutes, and he missed one shot and had one turnover. 

In total, they were a combined 3-for-22 from the field and 1-for-10 from deep. That absolutely cannot happen again Tuesday night, because it's basically the same backcourt for the Hoosiers, with freshman Gabe Cupps in for Bates. Maybe we'll see an Anthony Leal sighting too, but it's on Indiana's guards to play well.

Rutgers is only 8-6 this season and 0-3 in the Big Ten. They're probably the worst team in the league, though Michigan might be giving them a run for their money.

But winning at Jersey Mike's Arena isn't easy. The place is small, only 8,000 seats, and it gets very loud. That's a good reason why Indiana has lost three straight by an average of 11.3 points per game.

Home-court advantage means a lot in the Big Ten, and it certainly matters at Rutgers. That's why they are favored over Indiana. 

This is a key game for the Hoosiers, and we've talked about it a lot this month. These first four Big Ten games of the month give Indiana a golden opportunity to make some noise in the league. They lost at Nebraska — and looked bad doing it — but pulled off an impressive 71-65 upset of Ohio State Saturday night. They play Minnesota at home Friday — a very winnable game — so this one is really big.

Pull off another road win, beat Minnesota and suddenly you're 5-1 in the league and in the race.

First off, though, you have to win at Rutgers. Been a while, but it can be done. Indiana's front line has carried this team often, and that might happen again on Tuesday. But it's the guards who need to be at their best.

All of them.

Related stories on Indiana-Rutgers

• POINT SPREAD: Indiana is off to an impressive 3-1 start in the Big Ten, and the Hoosiers have another good opportunity for a road win at Rutgers on Tuesday night. The Scarlet Knights are favored, but not by much. Here's the latest line, plus a great history of both teams against the spread. CLICK HERE
• RUTGERS BREAKDOWN: A trademark of Rutgers teams under coach Steve Pikiell, the Scarlet Knights' defense won't make anything easy for Indiana on Tuesday. But to claim its first conference win, Rutgers must improve offensively. Here's a breakdown of the Scarlet Knights. CLICK HERE
• HOW TO WATCH: Indiana continues the 2023-24 season on Tuesday against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, N.J. Here's how to watch, game time and TV information, the point spread and over/under, the coaching matchup, series history, predicted score, stats, rankings and more. CLICK HERE