Rutgers loses close call to Michigan, but is confident heading into stretch drive

NEW YORK — Three times now, Rutgers has played a Big Ten Conference game away from the RAC. Three times now, the Scarlet Knights have fallen agonizingly short of making an emphatic statement, proving it is not just a one-trick pony with perhaps the nation’s strongest and most intimidating home-court advantage.

Fourteen points. Fourteen points are all that separate the most captivating story in local college basketball from an improbable standing atop the Big Ten, coming within two possessions of upending Illinois and Iowa on the road, and Michigan on a neutral floor — in what was technically a Wolverines home game — beneath the same Madison Square Garden backdrop under which the first signs of such a rebirth were born when Rutgers made an improbable run to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament just 22 months ago.

“These are challenges,” Steve Pikiell admitted in the wake of a 69-63 loss, the latest close setback for a Rutgers team that now stands 1-6 away from the RAC, compared to 15-0 inside the intimately friendly confines of Piscataway. “These are all new challenges for this young team, and we’ll just keep fighting through them.”

“You’ve got to move on really quickly as a coach and as players,” he added, wasting little time in calling attention to Rutgers’ next opportunity, in College Park less than 72 hours from tonight against nationally-ranked Maryland. “You don’t win them all, that’s for sure. Not in this league, certainly.”

When Rutgers has met challenges, it has done so admirably and with aplomb, and passed each one with flying colors. Pick up a major non-conference win? Rutgers did that against Seton Hall three days after scoring a much-needed win over Wisconsin to even its Big Ten record at the time. Defeat another ranked team? The Scarlet Knights did that in an authoritative takedown of Penn State after trailing at halftime and forcing the Nittany Lions into a meat grinder over the second half. Become a ranked team, and uphold that ranking? Check, after a heart-stopping comeback against Nebraska last week capped off by Geo Baker’s last-second 3-pointer, followed by a stout defensive effort to fend off Purdue.

“We’ve got nine more great opportunities,” an optimistic Pikiell declared, proclaiming the glass to be half-full. “Six of them are against ranked teams. We didn’t let anything slip. We’re having a great year. I like my team. We’re young and when we have games like this, we bounce back, and we’ll be ready to play hard against Maryland. That’s another great opportunity for us, and we’ll get off the mat. One thing this program’s done since I’ve been the head coach is get off the mat and get ready for the next challenge ahead. Challenges are numerous.”