In a season that Rutgers men’s basketball went dancing in March for the first time in 30 years and won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in 38 years, they did it behind defense and timely wins. The biggest reason they didn’t advance to the Sweet 16 and beyond last season was due to a weakness that was previously a program strength during head coach Steve Pikiell’s tenure.
The Scarlet Knights saw their dream season end in the Round of 32 because they couldn’t stop the best rebounding team in the country. Houston overcame a 9 point deficit to close out the game with a 14-2 run that was fueled by 9 second chance points coming off of offensive rebounds.