After a brutal loss to Iowa on Saturday, the Scarlet Knights have a quick turnaround before taking on their Ivy League in-state opponent on Wednesday evening. Princeton has had Rutgers’ number over the last few seasons in both men’s and women’s basketball, and RU needs a bounce-back win in the worst way.
The Tigers have won the past three meetings against the Scarlet Knights, each by double digits. The most recent meeting was last season in Piscataway, when Rutgers lost 66-49, while the Knights fell
66-55 in their last visit to Jadwin Gymnasium. This year may not be any easier, as Princeton is off to a 9-1 start to its season.
Coming off a loss to Iowa State in the First Four last season, the Tigers have made the NCAA tournament in four consecutive seasons. They opened the season with a road win over Georgia Tech and took down Villanova one game later. Princeton also has wins over four other power conference schools: Seton Hall, Rhode Island, Penn State, and DePaul, with the win over the Nittany Lions coming in Happy Valley.
Their lone loss came to #7 Maryland, an 84-68 decision against a top-ten team. After UMD took a 26-10 lead, Princeton cut the deficit to four on the back of a 20-8 second quarter. However, the Terrapins controlled the third quarter and hung on in the fourth to hand the Ivy League challengers their first loss of the season.
With that being said, Princeton is a similar-caliber team to what the Knights will see in Big Ten play. Although not quite as good as teams like Iowa and Maryland, they can certainly give teams like Rutgers and Penn State a run for their money or beat them outright, as they received 31 votes in the latest AP poll.
In addition, the Tigers are currently seen as the top mid-major program in women’s basketball, receiving the top ranking in the College Insider Women’s Mid-Major Top 25 poll. They are given a 95.4% chance to push their winning streak to four over Rutgers this Wednesday, according to ESPN Analytics.
For Rutgers, this game will be about how they respond to their humiliating loss to Iowa. The 79-36 margin made the game look closer than it really was, which says something about just how badly things went for the Scarlet Knights in their conference opener.
Iowa took a 22-6 lead after the first quarter, 42-14 at halftime, and 66-18 after three quarters. By the time Rutgers got rolling, it was way too late, even with Rutgers winning the fourth quarter 18-14. The Scarlet Knights were outscored 44-18 under the basket, having no answer for Ava Heiden, who finished with 17 points.
Even if Rutgers cannot win this game, which is a very real possibility, they have to be able to score the basketball more consistently and play better defense. The Knights have struggled against high-major competition (and even against mid-majors) offensively, with extended scoring droughts. While that may have gotten Rutgers to a 7-2 record before the Hawkeyes game, that will not fly for much longer.
With one more tune-up against Lafayette to follow, Rutgers will play one of their most anticipated nonconference games of the season on Wednesday. Hopefully, Saturday’s woeful performance was an aberration and not the norm, but we should get a clearer answer against a strong Princeton team at Jadwin Gymnasium on Wednesday.
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