Getty Image / Rich Schultz
- Rutgers’ basketball program has been on a tear lately
- Last night, they made history with their win over Illinois
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If there is any one thing that basketball fans in the state of New Jersey will tell you with absolute certainty, it’s that “good teams crack at the RAC”. It has long been a staple of the Rutgers basketball program that no matter how bad the team gets, they are a tough out at home for good opponents.
That has been especially true in recent seasons. Rutgers has actually been churning out strong teams over the last few years and it has made them especially difficult to take down in Piscataway.
It has perhaps never been tougher for opponents at the RAC than this year. Last night, Rutgers picked up their 4th home win of the season against a ranked opponent and made history in the process.
@RutgersMBB beats No. 12 Illinois 70-59.
Rutgers is the first unranked team all-time to play 4 straight regular season games vs AP-ranked opponents & win them all.
It's their 5th win over an AP-ranked opponent this season, the most in a season in school history. pic.twitter.com/egBf1hdmiN
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 17, 2022
The 4 wins they have put together have come against Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Most impressively, the win over Wisconsin came on the road.
This historic run has taken Rutgers from entirely out of the NCAA tournament picture to possibly being able to claim a spot of their own in he rankings. They’ll have a chance to extend this record streak over the weekend when they go on the road for a rematch with Purdue.
With a win, Rutgers would suddenly be in the mix to win the Big 10 regular season title and would place themselves firmly inside the field of 68 for March Madness.