Right at home: Rutgers topples Minnesota
Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell doesn’t want to talk about his team potentially being ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in over four decades.
Caleb McConnell had 10 points and 12 rebounds as Rutgers used a balanced team effort in a 64-56 win over Minnesota on Sunday to continue the program’s best start in the Big Ten, and possibly gain an AP Top 25 ranking for the first time since 1979.
“Nope, no thoughts,” Pikiell said when asked about a potential ranking, before adding, “we were picked 12th in the league and that’s where we were picked.”
After starting 1 of 10 from the field and letting Minnesota go 4 of 5, Pikiell called a timeout 3 ½ minutes into the game and his team down 10-2. Whatever was said in the huddle sparked a turnaround.
Montez Mathis (11 points on 4-of-6 shooting) hit back-to-back 3s then a layup and the foul shot that followed before Jacob Young capped an 11-0 run for Rutgers to make it 13-10.
“We started off and got punched in the face and we had to get back up,” Myles Johnson said. “Tez’s energy – the three straight baskets, his defensive energy that he had to bring it to them and then we went on that run and I think he really just brought us into the game.”
Minnesota’s Daniel Oturu made a couple free throws before Rutgers went on another 6-0 run to make it 19-12 midway through the half. Rutgers made it 23-15 with 6:26 to go before going into the break with a 34-25 lead.
Rutgers (14-4, 5-2 Big Ten) built its lead to start the second half, ballooning it to 14 on a few occasions. Minnesota (10-8, 4-4 Big Ten) cut the lead to seven three times after that but that’s the closest the Golden Gophers got.
Wake Forest 80, Boston College 62: Brandon Childress scored 20 points and big men Olivier Sarr and Ody Oguama combined for 30 points and 23 rebounds Sunday to lead Wake Forest to an 80-62 victory over Boston College.
The Demon Deacons (9-8, 2-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) snapped a three-game losing streak. Andrien White made back-to-back 3-point shots at the start of the second half as the Deacons pulled away with a 24-4 run after BC, which never led, had tied the game at 28-28.
The cold-shooting Eagles (9-9, 3-4) made only 6 of 29 from 3-point range, including just 2 of 16 in the first half. Their only field goal during an 11-minute dry spell spanning both halves was Luka Kraljevic’s 3-pointer early in the second half. Derryck Thornton scored 15 points and Jay Heath added 14 for the Eagles.
Cincinnati 82, East Carolina 57: Trevon Scott had another double-double, but it was another number in the box score – one on the other side of the ledger – that meant the most to him.
Scott played a hand in holding down East Carolina’s Jayden Gardner, the key to Cincinnati coasting to an 82-57 victory the Bearcats’ front line dominated.
Davidson 74, Fordham 62: Jon Axel Gudmundsson had 21 points with four 3-pointers and nine assists as Davidson topped Fordham 74-62.
Mike Jones had 15 points for Davidson (8-9, 2-3 Atlantic 10 Conference). Carter Collins added 11 points and seven rebounds.