Even when Rutgers' play in the first half didn't look brilliant, the idea of trailing to Boston University, just days after its throttling of Eastern Michigan, seemed far removed from reality.
And then the second half happened.
Rutgers, which held a comfortable 10-point lead at the break behind 15 points from point guard Geo Baker, saw the wheels come off for the better part of the final 20 minutes at Rutgers Athletic Center Friday afternoon in Piscataway.
Boston University cut its 10-point deficit to two points just three minutes into the second half and went-punch-for-punch with the Scarlet Knights over the next 10 minutes, getting the deficit down to one point with eight minutes to play.