Rutgers entered the game 11.5 point underdogs against a Northwestern team that beat them at the RAC by 9 points just over a month ago. The Wildcats were looking for their 20th win of the season and needed this victory to get them even closer to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Welsh-Ryan arena was sold out and this was expected to be a major challenge for Rutgers in their last road game of the regular season.
Instead, the improbable happened for most of the game, as Rutgers outplayed Northwestern and kept the home faithful quiet for long stretches.