Rutgers basketball getting raw deal against Michigan State? Big Ten responds
Once the Big Ten Conference expanded eastward in 2014, then-commissioner Jim Delany became obsessed with Madison Square Garden, like Captain Ahab with the whale in “Moby Dick.” His reasoning was sound: The World’s Most Famous Arena is the best big-game hardwood venue in the country, a jewel for the crown of his mega-league.
But like Ahab discovered, headlong pursuit can get messy. Witness Super Saturday, the annual regular-season showcase at the Mecca that began in 2016.
RUTGERS BEATS MICHIGAN STATE:Rutgers basketball should play at Madison Square Garden more often -- out of conference
“One of the original impetuses of Super Saturday was to include the East Coast schools – Penn State, Maryland and Rutgers,” David Howell, the Big Ten’s associate director of communications, said Thursday via phone. “The original thought was to have one of those teams involved in it each year to allow alums to come to a game in Madison Square Garden, and to have that for students and the student-athlete experience.”
It’s a fabulous concept. The problem with building Super Saturday into the conference schedule is that someone has to give up a home game. Rutgers will be doing that Saturday against Michigan State (noon tip, Fox). In fact, the Scarlet Knights have done it twice now, including an overtime loss to Wisconsin in 2017. No other team has sacrificed more than one home game for the event (in addition, Rutgers was the road team in a 2020 Super Saturday loss to Michigan).
That’s not really on the level. What is the selection process? Why has Rutgers been the home team twice? Howell, who joined the Big Ten office in the fall, said that’s just the way the logistics fell.
“It’s not like we’re trying to find a home game on Rutgers’ schedule and take it away and not allow them to have it in Piscataway,” he said. “There’s also a financial aspect to this, where the conference helps Rutgers make up the difference in revenue from losing a home game.”
A metrics mess
Make no mistake: The Garden will have a distinct Rutgers flavor. Against Michigan in 2020, roughly two-thirds of the crowd of 13,000 were Scarlet Knights fans. At least that many fans project to attend this time around, and the ratio should be even more skewed scarlet.
“Rutgers nation will be there, that’s the most important thing,” head coach Steve Pikiell said Wednesday, after his team romped Minnesota at home. “We have a lot of alums in that area. It’s a great city. Excited. You’re playing as good a team, as good a program as there is in the country. So excited for that opportunity.”
It will be exciting, but whether he says it out loud or not, Pikiell would much rather play this at Jersey Mike’s Arena, especially after his team took it on the chin at Michigan State’s Breslin Center last month. He’s in the business of winning games, not creating excitement. And no one doubts that Michigan State will have less of a road disadvantage at the Garden compared to Jersey Mike’s. The Spartans got clobbered in Piscataway last season. What site do you think Spartans coach Tom Izzo prefers?
“Would I rather be playing at the Garden than the RAC? Yeah, I would rather be playing at the Garden than the RAC for two reasons,” Izzo told reporters Thursday according to the Detroit Free Press. “No. 1, the RAC is a tough place to play, we all know that. But No. 2, I think the Garden is an exciting place to play for college athletes. I think everybody wants to play there. And No. 3, I guess if there's a third, I bet you we'll have 4-5,000 fans there. Michigan State will draw well.”
Then there’s the metrics situation. Unlike with Rutgers’ last Super Saturday appearance, the NCAA now classifies this as a home/road game, not a neutral-site game. Losing at home comes with a greater metrics penalty against a team’s resume compared to a neutral – and winning one reaps less of a reward.
It should be noted that when Super Saturday was created, the current metrics system (known as the NET) did not exist. Moving forward, Howell said, “This is something that now has to be included into the discussion, how to handle this.”
End of the line?
Here’s the kicker: There might not be any forward. Saturday marks the end of a second three-year contract with the Garden. Will there be another?
“I don’t think anyone knows right now,” Howell said. “There are a lot of things that go into that, not just the schedules, but the availability of Madison Square Garden and consideration of TV partners and corporate partners.”
Could the event’s home/road designation sound the final buzzer on this thing?
“It won’t be a determining factor, but it’s another thing that will be included into the discussion,” Howell said.
If this is it, and Rutgers won’t get a chance to level the ledger as the road team in a future Super Saturday, that’s unfortunate. Maybe the league can start a new Super Saturday in Los Angeles, with UCLA giving up a game in Pauley Pavilion to face Rutgers at the Lakers’ arena.
Don’t hold your breath.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers basketball raw deal against Michigan State? Big Ten responds
