Rutgers has inched a little closer to its first NCAA tournament berth in almost three decades.
Jacob Young came off the bench and scored 17 points and the Scarlet Knights claimed their fourth ranked victim at home with a 78-67 victory over No. 9 Maryland in Piscataway, N.J., on Tuesday night.
The victory stopped a three-game losing streak for Rutgers (19-11, 10-9 Big Ten) and it was their school-record 18th home win this season, tops in the nation.
Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell refuses to talk about the NCAAs, insisting his focus is now on the regular-season finale at Purdue.
"We have won a lot of games in the best league in the country," Pikiell said. "… This is another one [Tuesday]. We have one more with Purdue and then the conference tournament."
Jalen Smith had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Maryland (23-7, 13-6). Anthony Cowan Jr. added 19 points for the Terps, who shot an atrocious 6-for-32 from three-point range.
No. 16 Michigan State 79, No. 20 Penn State 71: Xavier Tillman Sr. scored 23 points and had 15 rebounds to lead the Spartans (21-9, 13-6) over the Nittany Lions (21-9, 11-8) in State College, Pa. After No. 9 Maryland's 78-67 loss to Rutgers, the Terrapins and Spartans are tied for the top spot in the Big Ten with one game to go. Rocket Watts added 18 points for the Spartans, who erased a 46-31 halftime deficit to win their fourth in a row. Myreon Jones led Penn State with 16 points.
Purdue 77, No. 18 Iowa 68: Eric Hunter Jr., scored a career-high 19 points, and Evan Boudreaux had 14 points and 14 rebounds to help the Boilermakers (16-14, 9-10) beat the Hawkeyes (20-10, 11-8) in Iowa City. Purdue, which led by as many as 21 points in the first half, swept its two games against Iowa this season. Luka Garza led the Hawkeyes with 26 points and 12 rebounds, his 15th double-double of the season.
