Rutgers men’s basketball was blown out by Indiana 82-59, despite the Hoosiers coming into the game on a four-game losing streak. The Scarlet Knights could not stop Indiana’s three-point shooting, as they surrendered 45 total points from beyond the arc. This is Rutgers’ third loss in a row as they now fall to 2-7 in Big Ten play.
Indiana would open the scoring with a three-pointer, jumping out to a 5-0 lead before the Knights got on the board off a Darren Buchanan free throw with just under 17 minutes
left to play in the first half. The Hoosiers three point shooting got hot early as they jumped out to an eight-point lead with just under 15 minutes left to play in the half. Indiana would keep up the scoring, but Rutgers would initially keep pace thanks to the incredible effort from Tariq Francis, who had 11 points before ten minutes of game time passed. The Hoosiers would hold a 20-14 lead with just over 10 minutes to go in the first half.
Indiana continues to rain threes on Rutgers throughout the first half, as Tucker DeVries got hot from downtown early. Kaden Powers would hit some three pointers of his own, but Francis nearly single-handedly kept the Knights fighting as he finished the half with 21 points. Indiana would go into the lockerroom up 47-32.
Dylan Grant would hit a three coming out of the lockerroom to open up the second half. However, the Hoosiers would keep up the offensive pace over the next five minutes to hold a 20-point lead with 15 minutes left to go in the game. The Knights followed up with a 7-0 run before Indiana’s Nick Dorne would hit a three-pointer to break the run. Rutgers would attempt to draw closer several times throughout the rest of the game, but the Hoosiers would find a way to score each time to extend their lead and snuff out any attempt at a comeback.
Rutgers’ defense struggled mightily and failed to slow down Indiana’s offense throughout the entire game, as three Hoosiers would finish the game with 20 points or more. The Knights were especially poor in their three-point defense, as the Hoosiers hit 15 total shots from beyond the arc.
In total, Indiana hit 50 percent of their field goals and 43 percent of their three pointers.
It wasn’t just the defense that melted down, as Rutgers, in comparison, hit only 36 percent of its field goals and 26 percent of its three-point shots.
Several Hoosiers finished the game with very impressive stats. DeVries finished the game recording a double-double as he totaled 22 points and 10 rebounds. In addition, Dorn and Lamar Wilkerson would both finish the game with 23 or more points, while Sam Alexis finished the game with 10 rebounds.
Francis was the best player on the floor for Rutgers again, as he netted 28 points. The Knights could not get much in terms of meaningful contributions from the rest of their roster.
Besides the effort from Francis, it was an ugly night for Rutgers all around, one they will be eager to move on from. However, moving on is easier said than done as the Knights are set to take on No.10 Michigan State at home in their next matchup. That game will be played at Jersey Mike’s Arena and is slated for a 6:30 tip-off on Tuesday, January 27th. Live coverage will be available on FS1.
