A global pandemic won’t stop Rutgers this time.
Now one year removed from COVID-19 wiping away the 2020 NCAA Tournament and the Scarlet Knights’ chance to finally dance for the first time since 1991, Steve Pikiell’s group is back, ready to embrace the long-awaited madness and end a 30-year tourney drought.
After Saturday’s dramatic overtime win over Minnesota, Rutgers (14-10) is widely considered a lock to see its name on Selection Sunday, regardless of how it fares in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. For Pikiell, helping relieve the school of its tournament-less burden was a result of leaning into the realization of such a drought, rather than wearing it as a scarlet letter.
“From day one when I took the job and the recruiting process, I embraced the challenge,” Pikiell told John Jastremski on Monday. “I challenged guys like Geo Baker and Myles Johnson to come here and do something about that. Everyone was always telling them what we haven’t done, and I told those guys that they could come here and do something that hasn’t been done in a long time, and that’s the challenge that they accepted…a lot of other players went elsewhere, other schools that maybe had history of going to a lot of tournaments in the recent past. These guys accepted that challenge and embraced it.”
The challenge should have been completed last season, when Rutgers was again considered a lock to make the tournament before it was canceled as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. A fast start to the 2020-21 season ignited hope that the program wouldn’t have to wait long to make its rightful return to March Madness, and even after slumping through parts of its grueling Big Ten schedule, Rutgers is on its way to shedding the label it chose to embrace.
“Our guys are mostly 20 years old,” Pikiell said. “I told them they weren’t even born the last time [Rutgers made the tournament]. We’ve only been a part of the program for four or five years. Some of these guys only two or three years. So win for yourself, win for the great university that you play for, but also win for the opportunity that’s in front of you. It’s a great opportunity. They’ve embraced that, and hopefully they get rewarded for that.”
The Big Ten, widely considered to be the strongest conference in the nation this season, has seen its teams trade haymakers throughout its conference slate, and now that Rutgers appears to still be standing ahead of Selection Sunday, the NCAA Tournament will bring an opportunity to show what the Scarlet Knights have taken from what was a tough schedule, after what Pikiell hopes is a few more Big Ten battles in this week’s conference tournament.
“I thought last year’s league was great and they’re saying this is the best year maybe ever in the history of the league, and when you don’t have a lot of non-conference games, you just jump right into the toughest league in the country,” Pikiell said. “To end the year 10-10 in this conference and to win all of our non-conference games and now have a chance to go in as a seven seed out of 14 teams, it just tells you we can play with anybody.”
In the eyes of Pikiell and the Scarlet Knights, that conference schedule that nearly wore them down and pushed them out of the tournament bubble is what they believe makes them a dangerous opponent come March, having already experienced what it’s like to clash with the best teams in the country.
“I look forward to playing some teams that aren’t in the Big Ten,” Pikiell laughed. “I think it will be fun to go after teams in other leagues. The challenges that this league brings, I think when you have short preparations for games in the tournament, I think we can fall back on our experience. There’s been so many close games in this league…when you get into the tournament and play in those close games, we’ve been there before.”
First, Rutgers has to officially see its name on the bracket come Sunday, which appears to be a certainty after Saturday’s victory. CBS Sports currently has the Scarlet Knights as an eight seed, but regardless of where they land on the bracket, they’ll be there, which the school hasn’t been able to say since Pikiell was wrapping up his own playing career at UConn three decades ago.
“Just thankful, happy, happy for this great university and happy for my team and all the great students that are here,” Pikiell said of the emotions he expects come Sunday. “I would just be most proud and thankful for a great coaching staff that has sacrificed and dedicated a lot of time. But most of all I’ll just be thankful that this team gets to experience what I got to experience as a player at UConn. The sacrificing they have done, for them to get to be rewarded like that will be a great, great day.”
Listen to Pikiell's full interview with JJ below!
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