After earning its first victory in the Big Ten Tournament in three years, Rutgers basketball was defeated in the third round of the Big Ten tournament by UCLA, 72-59. While the Scarlet Knights played hard until the last whistle against a team that was vastly superior on paper, it was their second-half turnovers and poor offensive performance that ultimately doomed their effort.
Dylan Grant would open the scoring for Rutgers, hitting two free throws, before Ogbole added two points with a layup. However, an 11-0 run by UCLA would see them take a 7-point lead with just under 15 minutes left to go in the half. The Knights would find a way to battle back over the next five minutes, taking the lead at one point, but another scoring run from the Bruins would see Rutgers in a four-point hole with 10 minutes left to play in the first half. UCLA would extend its lead to six over the next five minutes, as the Knights showed signs of struggle on the offensive end of the floor. The Bruins would keep that lead, heading into the locker room up 30-24. Both teams struggled to score in the final five minutes of the first half, with both teams netting five points apiece. Harun Zrno led the Knights in terms of points at the half, having hit three three-pointers, good for 9 points before the break.
Lino Mark would start the scoring in the second half by hitting a three-pointer to cut the Bruins’ lead to three. However, an offensive explosion by UCLA would see the Bruins race out to a 15-point lead with just over 15 minutes left to go in the game, which forced head coach Steve Pikiell to call a timeout. Rutgers would be able to cut the Bruins’ lead to 10 with just under 10 minutes left in the game, off a Darren Buchanan Jr. three-point play. However, they would not be able to seriously challenge UCLA’s lead for the rest of the game.
UCLA’s Donovan Dent would pick up the first triple-double in Big Ten Tournament history by scoring 12 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and providing 12 assists. Forward Tyler Bilodeau would also have a standout performance for the Bruins, leading the team with 21 points. On top of that, the Bruins out-rebounded Rutgers 40-30.
One of the main reasons why the Bruins were able to build their double-digit second-half lead early on in the half was because the Knights had a few turnovers in rapid succession, all of which led to UCLA points. Since there is a significant talent differential between the two squads, Rutgers needed to have a clean game to have a chance at pulling off the victory.
Several players had good performances for the Knights in this game. Mark led the way in scoring with 17 points, while Buchanan nearly picked up a double-double, scoring nine points and picking up nine rebounds.
Tariq Francis, who is usually the Knights’ best scorer on the floor, had an off game, scoring only six points on 11 field goal attempts.
UCLA will move on to face Michigan State in the fourth round.
As for Rutgers and its coaching staff, now begins a pivotal off-season, with their focus shifting to the transfer portal, which starts on April 7th.