STEVE PIKIELL

Phil Martelli pumped his left fist in the air, celebrating a win Michigan needed after Juwan Howard’s swipe.

Paul Mulcahy had his first-career double-double with 15 points and a career-high 12 assists, Ron Harper Jr. added 17 points and Dean Reiber had a career-high 12 points as Rutgers blew past No. 13 Michigan State 84-63.

Big Ten basketball entered a whole new world when it returned to Indianapolis for the first of two media days.

3 Michigan to a 71-64 victory over Rutgers on Thursday night. 4 Ohio State on Sunday. Jacob Young scored 16 points for Rutgers, which led early but lacked the offensive sharpness necessary to keep up with Michigan. Rutgers missed the Top 25 by only two spots this week, but the Scarlet Knights couldn’t come up with the upset Thursday. Michigan: The Wolverines play at Ohio State.

Who: Rutgers Scarlet Knights (12-7, 8-7) at No. 3 Michigan Wolverines (14-1, 9-1)Where: Crisler Center (Ann Arbor, Michigan)When: Thursday, February 18, 9:01 p.m. We haven’t even been close, really.”The Scarlet Knights already have three road wins this season, in addition to home wins over Illinois and Purdue. The Scarlet Knights last played on Saturday, beating Northwestern 64-50 in New Jersey. For the Wolverines, Rutgers is sandwiched between their much anticipated return and a visit to No.

23 Michigan State. Henry played well enough to allow Michigan State to overcome a season-high 18 turnovers, contributing four giveaways himself. The Scarlet Knights were already without center Clifford Omoruyi, who has been out with a knee injury since a win over No. Michigan State: For a second straight game, Henry led the way Izzo needs him to for this team. Michigan State: Hosts Purdue on Friday night.

15 Rutgers, he had to while teammates turned the ball over and missed shots. The Scarlet Knights (7-3, 3-3) made just 31% of their shots. “They were tough and obviously, (we) missed a ton of shots,” Pikiell said. The Scarlet Knights were already without center Clifford Omoruyi, who has been out with a knee injury since a win over No. POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Scarlet Knights will likely slide down in the poll and the Spartans should avoid slipping again in the AP Top 25.

Maryland forward Galin Smith (30) blocks a shot by Rutgers guard Ron Harper Jr. during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, in College Park, Md. – Ron Harper Jr. scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half, and No. 19 Rutgers won its Big Ten opener for the first time in school history, grinding past Maryland 74-60 Monday night. The Scarlet Knights (5-0, 1-0) broke open a tight game with a 10-0 run that made it 50-38 with 11:49 left. BIG PICTURERutgers: That was a solid start in conference play for the Scarlet Knights, who are no longer patsies against the traditional Big Ten powers.

Rutgers (18-9, 9-7 Big Ten Conference) jumped out to an early lead, but Michigan (17-9, 8-7) settled down and led 16-8 at the 13:03 mark. Rutgers would chip away at the lead until Ron Harper Jr. hit a 3-pointer from the corner to put the Scarlet Knights up 22-21. Im just glad I got to witness it.Baker had 16 points to lead Rutgers. Rutgers: As good as the Scarlet Knights have been at home, its been a struggle on the road. Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights are at Wisconsin on Sunday.

Cassius Winston had 23 points and seven assists, helping the Spartans top the Scarlet Knights 77-65 on Sunday night in the Big Ten opener for both teams. Its tougher in conference play, Spartans shooting guard Gabe Brown said. The Scarlet Knights (6-3) were competitive despite their leading scorers struggling to make shots. The Scarlet Knights entered the game third in the Big Ten in blocks, steals and turnovers forced and showed Michigan State those statistics were legitimate. They were putting pressure on us the whole game, Izzo said.