USATSI
Rutgers stunned No. 1 Purdue 65-64 on the road Monday to hand the Boilermakers’ their first loss for a second straight season. The Scarlet Knights have now won five of their last six games against Purdue after also knocking off the Boilermakers last season after they ascended to No. 1 for the first time in program history.
Last season, Ron Harper Jr. was the hero for hitting a buzzer-beater from just inside of half court at the buzzer. This season, the hero was Cam Spencer, who drilled a 3-pointer with 13.3 seconds remaining to put Rutgers ahead 65-64. The senior guard, who transferred from Loyola-Maryland, finished with 14 points. Paul Mulcahy added 16 to pace the Scarlet Knights.
Purdue received 60 of 61 possible first-place votes in the new AP Top 25 poll on Monday but will need a win at Ohio State on Thursday to maintain any hope of sticking atop the poll after struggling offensively against Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights led 34-24 at halftime and held on late to leave New Mexico as the lone undefeated team in college basketball.
The win marked Rutgers’ first true road victory of the season and improved the Scarlet Knights to 10-4 (2-1 Big Ten). While the Boilermakers clearly muddied the fight for No. 1 with the loss, it shouldn’t be too catastrophic of a blemish on their resume. Rutgers entered at No. 20 in the NET, meaning it will go down as a Quad 1 loss for Purdue.
Defense sets tone
Rutgers entered the game ranked No. 3 at KenPom.com in defensive efficiency, and the Scarlet Knights turned in another excellent defensive performance. The Boilermakers shot just 24% from the field in the first half as star center Zach Edey made only 1 of 3 shots…
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