Rutgers shows grind and grit as they out work Minnesota to advance in Big 10 Tournament

Rutgers Shows Grind And Grit As They Out Work Minnesota To Advance In The Big 10 Tournament

Many believe the Big 10 is pimping Rutgers to get into the tri-state area. While that may be true, Rutgers are excepting their role as the underdogs in a big conference.

When it comes to the conference tournament, the Scarlet Knights don’t just embrace the role — they thrive in it.

A year after it became the first 14th seed to win a game at the Big Ten Tournament, Rutgers repeated the feat against Minnesota Wednesday night, crushing the Golden Gophers 65-54 in a late-night matchup at Madison Square Garden.

Corey Sanders was huge and led Rutgers with a game-high 23 points, as well as 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and zero turnovers. He came out with swagger and gave the Scarlet Knights the scoring punch they desperately needed. With two all-conference players on the floor for Minnesota in Jordan Murphy and Nate Mason, Sanders outplayed them in this game.

Mike Williams also played a huge role in this game, willing Rutgers to stay in it at times and making key hustle plays down the stretch. He finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block. His toughness and determination were a big reason Rutgers won this game.

As a team, Rutgers dominated on the boards, holding a 49-28 advantage, the largest rebounding margin they’ve ever produced against Big Ten competition. They held a 15-5 edge on the offensive glass which resulted in a 17-2 edge in second-chance points.

Next Up For Rutgers

No rest for the wicked as Rutgers’ season extends for another day, with a prime-time matchup with Indiana. There were a lot of Rutgers fans in attendance Wednesday night and they helped make it a great environment at the Garden. Round two, those fans are going to have to be that much louder if they want to help Rutgers ride Cinderella wave all weekend long.