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Now that the Rutgers men’s basketball season is over, we will have plenty of reflection in the weeks to come. With today being a snow day for most of us who live on the east coast, I thought it would be fun to reflect on the highlights of the Big Ten season. Rutgers owned just three conference wins in the first two seasons of Big Ten play before this season. That context is so important in realizing how much progress this program made in year one with Steve Pikiell as the head coach. Sure, there were several close, heartbreaking defeats, but that marked progress too. I’ll let this tweet from the program tell the story:
• Tied for most wins since 2006
— Rutgers Basketball (@RutgersMBB) March 13, 2017
• Defeated more @B1GMBBall teams than in our first 2 @bigten seasons combined
• Trending ⬆️
• #KnightAndDay pic.twitter.com/qJjQv38u15
If you haven’t watched the Rutgers Basketball Story on TV this season, it’s certainly worth a watch. The Rutgers IMG Sports Network and Awesome Films produces it all and you can find all of the episodes, as well as individual segments, throughout this menu. RVision does great work as well and it appears they specifically produced the footage for the Big Ten Tournament win over Ohio State. These behind the scenes looks at every B1G win for Rutgers basketball are just fantastic. Expect a few chills. It really highlights the passion and togetherness this team had, as well as how much leadership coach Pikiell has brought to this program.
If you are home on a snow day, enjoy! If you live away from the east coast and are at work, watching these videos will make your lunch break better. If you really want to remember even further, I linked all of the coverage we had for each win. Although it’s hard knowing the season is now over just as March Madness is beginning, remember, this rebuild will take time, but there is finally light at the end of the tunnel!
Rutgers 65 Nebraska 64
Rutgers 70 Penn State 68
Rutgers 62 Illinois 59
Rutgers 66 Ohio State 57
"Better days are ahead for Rutgers Basketball." - Steve Pikiell in the postgame presser. We second that & Amen. #KnightAndDay #RHoops
— On the Banks (@OTB_SBNation) March 10, 2017