Rutgers University
9-15,2-11Big Ten
Nebraska
21-2,10-2Big Ten
Nebraska Pulls Away Late as Men's Basketball Falls, 80–68
Feb 07 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's basketball showed resilience with a strong second half push, but an early deficit proved too much to overcome as Nebraska claimed an 80–68 victory Saturday afternoon at Jersey Mike's Arena.
The Scarlet Knights trailed by as many as 20 early in the second half after Nebraska carried a 41–27 advantage into the break. Rutgers responded with improved shooting and energy after halftime, outscoring the Cornhuskers 41–39 over the final 20 minutes, but could not close the gap.
Tariq Francis led Rutgers with 16 points, adding five assists, while Kaden Powers chipped in 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Dylan Grant finished with seven points and four steals, and Darren Buchanan Jr. added 10 points and five rebounds off the bench. Rutgers shot 48.2 percent from the field in the second half after struggling to a 41.4 percent clip before intermission.
Nebraska was paced by Rienk Mast, who poured in a game-high 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting and added eight rebounds. Pryce Sandfort (15 points) and Sam Hoiberg (13 points) also reached double figures as the Cornhuskers controlled the paint and converted 11-of-12 free throws.
Rutgers closed within 10 points in the final minute following baskets from Francis and Denis Badalau, but Nebraska sealed the game at the line. The Scarlet Knights finished with a 34–33 rebounding edge and forced 15 turnovers, continuing to compete until the final horn.
Rutgers returns to action next week on Sunday against Maryland at home at noon as Big Ten play continues.
Coach Pikiell's Opening Statement
"Great crowd today. Obviously, Nebraska is really good — the most efficient team offensively in the league, and defensively too. I thought we did some good things, but turnovers killed us. We haven't been turning the ball over, and that was a huge part of the game plan. We scored 68 points, and if we had been closer to our normal turnover ratio, I think we could have gotten to 75, which is what we were trying to do.
They make you pay for mistakes every time you make one. I have to tip my hat — Sam Hoiberg has made himself an unbelievable player in this league and does all the little things to win basketball games. That's a really good basketball team. Every time I think we're close and making progress, we show some good signs, but this is the wrong league to be close in."
On the Thinking Behind Lineup Changes
"A bunch of things. With Lino out today, our rotation changed a little bit. We haven't been winning, so I thought it was important to maybe get some different energy with a new starting lineup. I thought bringing Emmanuel Ogbole and Jamichael Davis off the bench would give us a spark.
The young guys are starting to get better. Harun has been practicing at an elite level, so I felt he earned a starting opportunity. I liked the matchups in this game. I wanted Darren Buchanan Jr. to start on Mast because of how he plays — he's really a point-forward, point-center — so we tried to break some things up and adjust for matchup reasons."
On Defense and Rebounding
"I'm extremely disappointed in our defense. It hasn't been consistent. At times we've shown it in stretches, but this league is too good not to be elite defensively. Communication is a big part of that, and we haven't been good enough there — that's on me.
We've done a lot of film work and spent a lot of time on it in practice. Tonight, we're playing the most efficient team in the country, so when you make a mistake — whether it's screen coverage, help angles, or not tagging rollers — they make you pay. We also didn't rebound well enough early, which hurt our defense.
We did out-rebound them by one, but we turned the ball over too much. We have guys still learning — KP is learning college defense for the first time, Jun is new to us — and while we've shown signs, this isn't a league to just show signs. This is the best league in the country, and it's not the time to be learning defense."
On Shot Selection and Areas to Grow
"A sustainable way to win is to defend at a high level and take care of the ball. Those two things are huge for us right now. When we don't defend, it hurts our offense. When our offense is rolling, we play better defense.
Taking more threes was part of the plan. They're a trap team on drives and don't give you anything on the baseline. Their rotations are very unique, and with only two days to prepare, two-point shots are at a premium. We started our four best shooters, and it always comes down to decision-making — good threes, bad threes, good twos, bad twos. It's all part of the equation."
On What He's Evaluating for the Remainder of the Season
"They're being evaluated every day, every practice. I'm looking for improvement. Even with this losing stretch, we were at USC with a chance to tie the game. We have to keep getting better.
I want continued improvement from Kaden on the defensive end. I want to get Lino back. I want to see Harun continue to grow. Darren has become a really versatile player. Dylan has to get more consistent. Most importantly, I want us to keep fighting.
We have a week off, which we really need. We're banged up — Darren's banged up, Kaden's banged up — and the travel has been heavy. We have to get better, rebound better, and make strides. We're not where we need to be in this league. It's about player improvement, individual improvement, and team improvement."
On Lino Mark's Injury
"He hurt his back and hasn't been able to practice, which is not good at this time of year."
On Whether the Season's Struggles Are NIL-Related
"The great part of where we are right now is that we have an unbelievable athletic director. She works morning, noon, and night. She's hired six people in the NIL space. We probably needed that three years ago.
We weren't as innovative as we needed to be, but we still have to win — nobody cares about excuses. I'm thankful moving forward that there's a real plan in place and people waking up every day thinking about it. This is a league of haves. A lot of teams have innovative resources, and we have to be one of them too."
