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Knight of victory: Rutgers gets first NCAA Tournament win in nearly 4 decades with victory over Clemson
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A drought that stretched nearly four decades has come to an end for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have won an NCAA Tournament game.
Rutgers defeated Clemson 60-56 in a nail-biting matchup late Friday night, the first day of the opening round of March Madness. It was the first victory for the program in the NCAA Tournament since 1983, ending a 38-year skid without a victory in the Big Dance.
Three Scarlet Knights scored 13 points to lead the way, with Geo Baker, Jacob Young and Caleb McConnell all have stellar nights. Paul Mulcahy scored 8 points, as well. Myles Johnson didn’t contribute much in points, scoring just 2, but he did grab 10 rebounds in the victory.
McConnell finished the night with a double-double, also hauling in 10 boards.
Neither team shot the ball particularly well, both making fewer than 40% of their shots for the evening. The statistics were very balanced on both sides, with the biggest difference being Rutgers knocking down two more 3-point shots than Clemson, proving to be the difference in the contest.
With Rutgers winning, it will advance to play No. 2 seed Houston with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen at stake. The game will be played on Sunday.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB