Rutgers University
9-11,2-7Big Ten
Indiana
13-7,4-5Big Ten
Men's Basketball Downed vs. Indiana Friday
Jan 23 | Men's Basketball
Indiana jumped out early and never relinquished the lead, shooting 50 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range. The Hoosiers built a 47–32 advantage by halftime and pushed the margin to as many as 23 in the second half.
Rutgers was led by Tariq Francis, who scored a game-high 28 points on 10-of-23 shooting and went 7-for-8 at the free-throw line. Kaden Powers added eight points, while Jamichael Davis chipped in eight points and two steals.
The Scarlet Knights battled on the glass, holding a 27–18 edge in rebounding and scoring 30 bench points, but struggled offensively, finishing at 36.2 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Indiana was paced by Lamar Wilkerson, who scored 27 points, while Tucker DeVries and Nick Dorn each added 22 and 23 points, respectively. The Hoosiers connected on 15 three-pointers and converted all seven of their free-throw attempts.
Rutgers looks to regroup as it continues Big Ten play, returning to action next week against Michigan State on Tuesday night at Jersey Mike's Arena at 6:30 p.m. on FS1.
Postgame Quotes
Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell
Coach Pikiell opening statement:
"Obviously, I'm disappointed with how we played on both ends of the floor, and it's on me. It started yesterday — we had a terrible practice, the worst of the season. Then we came out today against a team that shoots the ball at a high percentage. I thought we'd been taking steps forward, especially rebounding the ball, but today was a huge step backward, and that's on me to change it.
It doesn't get any easier with Michigan State coming to town. Indiana played great, and I've got to give them credit. They shot the ball as well as they have all year, and we knew they were capable of that. Nick [Dorn] is really good — I thought that when I watched the film. Lamar [Wilkerson] got his average, Darian [DeVries] got his average plus some, so we have to play better. I thank the crowd for being there. The energy wasn't there from our guys, and that's on me. I've got to make sure that doesn't happen again."
Coach Pikiell on the team's effort:
"We've been taking steps forward, but again, it started yesterday in practice. We didn't have the right focus, and we're not good enough to play without focus. Against a team like Indiana, to not be ready to play is 100% on me. I didn't like anything today. I thought we were getting better. We out-rebounded our last three opponents, and this should have been another one. I hated that we only had five fouls — that tells you you're not doing enough defensively. We need to be physical. We've shown signs of that, but we didn't have any of it tonight."
Coach Pikiell on leaning too heavily on Tariq Francis:
"Our defense was terrible tonight, and we didn't rebound, and you're not going to win like that. We have to make open shots, finish at the rim — we didn't do that. One game it's offense, one game it's defense, and we've got to be more consistent. We were really disappointed tonight because we had been taking steps forward defensively and rebounding-wise, and we didn't do that."
Coach Pikiell on Dylan Grant recovering from the flu:
"He had the flu and lost eight pounds. We're trying to get him back to himself. He's battled through it, but it's been tough. You just have to keep plugging through."
Coach Pikiell on the lack of focus in practice:
"You can ask these guys right here — we practice every day, and yesterday, for whatever reason, we didn't. Guys know how I felt about it, and it carried over into today's game. Practice is very important, especially when you have ten newcomers. In ten years, this is the first time I've talked about having a really bad practice. These two guys were part of it, too. We have to get back to being physical, focused, and practicing the right way."
Coach Pikiell on Indiana making 15 threes:
"Everything went wrong. We didn't foul — you've got to be more physical. You should get 10 to 15 fouls just from playing hard. We didn't close out the way we needed to. Nick Dorn is dangerous — I knew that — and when a shooter like that makes his first one, it gives him confidence. We gave them too much confidence, and that's a problem. They're one of the teams that takes the most threes in the country, and we didn't play the way we needed to."
Coach Pikiell on bringing Tariq off the bench:
"It didn't really matter tonight. His numbers coming off the bench are unbelievable. He started 11 games and has doubled his production coming off the bench. He's playing the most minutes and taking the most shots. If starting matters to him, then we need to get other guys ready. He plays a lot with the starters anyway. That wasn't our issue tonight — we had a lot of issues."
Coach Pikiell on Baye Fall being out:
"He had surgery on his hand today. I haven't spoken with him yet, but I would assume it's long term."
Tariq Francis and Jamichael Davis on practice before the game:
Francis: "Our focus wasn't there in practice, and we didn't understand how that could carry over. We've got to be better as players. It's not on Coach — he told us. We have to come ready to practice."
Davis: "Our focus and energy weren't right. Preparation is everything, and we didn't come ready."
Coach Pikiell on balancing Tariq's performance:
"That wasn't our main issue tonight. Tariq can score at a high level, but there are other things too — he didn't have a rebound tonight. When guards don't rebound and you get out-rebounded, that's a problem. We've been taking steps forward, and tonight was a big step back. We'll practice tomorrow, we'll have a long, intense practice, and we'll be ready. We're playing a Hall of Fame coach and Michigan State — it's an unbelievable opportunity, and we have to play with more passion."
Coach Pikiell on getting back to winning:
"You can't give up 82 points at home, and you can't get out-rebounded. Those have been our Achilles heels all year. I know we have ten new guys, but we've shown signs of improvement. Yesterday set the tone for today, and we can't let that happen again. This is the toughest league in the country. You get knocked down, but you have to get back up — and these guys will."
Indiana Head Coach Darian DeVries
Coach Darian DeVries on snapping a four-game losing streak:
"We've had a couple of games recently where we struggled out of the gate, but I thought the guys did a great job with their actions. Their cutting was much crisper, and they did a great job of finding one another. I also think they took advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves, and multiple guys impacted different parts of the game. We were able to keep guys hot, then the next guy got going, and so on. Our ability to take care of the ball was a big part of it. We had only one turnover at halftime and five total for the game, so it was a good night. You're going to give yourself a chance to win every night doing that."
Coach DeVries on stepping up after Rutgers cut the lead to eight:
"Yeah, it was a big stretch where they went on a bit of a run. I thought our defense lacked the tenacity we had shown for most of the game for a few possessions. They were attacking downhill, getting to the rim, and hit a transition three. But Tayton [Conerway] came in and gave us a couple of big layups, Sam [Alexis] made some big plays with blocks, and I thought the guys stayed composed and were able to settle in and get the lead back."
Coach DeVries on Nick Dorn's first start:
"Nick is a really good shooter. He's very confident and doesn't need a lot of time or space to get his shot off, but you still have to find him. I thought the guys did a really good job of finding Nick. A lot of times they were spaced well, and Nick was able to get shots off and, more importantly, convert at a good percentage."
Coach DeVries on the mentality going forward:
"For this game, it was great. The guys came out really focused, came out defensively with great energy, and I loved the offensive identity we were trying to establish. Not to mention, being able to control the game for the full 40 minutes and sustain it was probably even more important."
Coach DeVries on what worked offensively:
"I think the guys do such a good job of finding each other, especially when Tucker [DeVries] or Nick [Dorn] hits one. They know to keep them hot and keep them in action. They did that throughout the game, even though it was different stretches for each guy. I thought all of those guys made big plays, and they're very confident and aggressive, which is the mentality I like."
Coach DeVries on his first time at Jersey Mike's Arena:
"It was my first time here, but it's a great arena with a great atmosphere. When it's your first time, you don't really know what to expect, but I thought the crowd was really into the game. Road wins are hard, and to be able to come in and lead from start to finish says a lot about the guys and the performance tonight."
Coach DeVries on Tariq Francis reaching 1,000 points:
"He's a hard guard. He's dynamic with the ball, can score at all three levels, and puts a lot of pressure on your defense because he's so good in isolation. Even creating his own opportunities, he makes it tough on you."
Coach DeVries on Tuesday's game vs. Purdue:
"Our mindset game-to-game is always the same. It's about consistency — making sure we handle the details in preparation, practice, and understanding what we need to do to win."
