From bottom-feeding to overachieving: Rutgers men's basketball rapidly improving, looking for 4th straight win
Things change quickly in the landscape of college basketball. For the Rutgers men's basketball team, things have changed for the better in recent games, and the Scarlet Knights (13-10, 5-7) are now looking for their fourth consecutive win when they battle Northwestern on Thursday.
Just two weeks ago, Rutgers fell to Penn State at home by a score of 61-46. What many fans took away from that game was that the season was a lost cause and the Knights had hit rock bottom.
From that moment on, though, Rutgers changed its tune. Winning three straight games, including two on the road and one at home against a fringe top-10 team in Wisconsin, the Knights have stormed out of nowhere looking poised to make a run.
Much of this improvement can be attributed to redshirt junior guard Jeremiah Williams. Williams was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday and was the third-ever Rutgers player to receive the honor. Williams had sat out all season before the last three games.
Now with the Wildcats (17-7, 8-5) coming to town, Williams will have a tough task as he looks to continue his personal undefeated season.
Led by Boo Buie, Northwestern has picked up its fair share of impressive victories this season. That includes a win over Purdue, a win against Illinois and a blowout victory over Michigan State. The Boilermakers (22-2, 11-2) and the Fighting Illini (17-6, 8-4) were ranked No. 1 and No. 10, respectively, at the time of each game.
What did each of these games have in common, though? The Wildcats were the home team. Northwestern has looked like a different team at times this season away from its home arena. Of the Wildcats' five conference losses, each one occurred on the road. Northwestern is undefeated in Big Ten play at home but is 1-5 when it travels.
This could favor the Knights, as they are the host of Thursday night's matchup. Jersey Mike's Arena on Livingston campus is widely regarded as one of the toughest arenas for opposing teams to play in across the conference, and with Rutgers' recent success, expect the fans to be rowdy.
The game is the last one at home for the Knights before they take on Minnesota and No. 2 Purdue in back-to-back road games. If Rutgers can scrap together another impressive victory on Thursday, the Knights will head out on their two-game road trip with loads of momentum. After that, throw a possible win against the Golden Gophers (15-8, 6-6) into the mix, and Rutgers would be heading into the Boilermakers' home arena riding a five-game winning streak.
At that point, who knows what could happen?
Without Williams' recent surge to greatness, none of this could have been imagined by Knights fans. It still remains just that: imagination — but there are sizable glimpses of hope ahead for Rutgers, and that starts on Thursday against Northwestern.
The game tips off at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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To view more of Camden Markel's work, follow @CamdenMarkel on X.
