Mired in the worst losing streak in school history, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights are only two losses from another undesirable distinction: winless. Coming off a loss to Michigan State Wednesday night, Rutgers now has only its game against Minnesota on Saturday and the Big Ten Tournament to avoid a winless conference record.
In playing Minnesota, Rutgers takes on the Big Ten's second-to-last-place team at home. Rutgers began its winless conference slate back on Dec. 30, when hosting Indiana.
The 17 consecutive losses that followed constitute for the longest losing streak in the program's 110-year history. But Rutgers' Big Ten woes go beyond that, as the team has not defeated a Big Ten opponent in their last 32 conference games. The last time a Big Ten team finished its conference schedule winless was when Northwestern did so in the 1999-2000 season.
It is unclear if Eddie Jordan is at risk of losing his job as Rutgers' head coach once the season comes to a close, but to say he took over the program during a rough patch would be an understatement. Rutgers has not made the NCAA Tournament in 25 years and the school is still reeling from the Mike Rice scandal.
"I don't particularly look at a streak," Jordan said after the Michigan State game. "I look at how we need to get better each day."
Jordan dodged questions about his tenure during his postgame press conference opting to look ahead to the Minnesota game.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo gave Jordan a vote of confidence, saying he thinks the coach "can turn this thing around" by getting his players healthy and adding "another player or two." Dick Lloyd, a former Rutgers basketball assistant and a radio host who has been affiliated with Rutgers basketball for 50 years, said Jordan faced an enormous task since taking over for Rice in 2013.
"To give up on a person after three years, and particularly the challenges that you were handed - cleaning up a situation, taking over where there's some negative vibes on the program, going into the Big Ten where your competition is tough," Lloyd said, "a lot of things that were tough there - so I think you have to take all that into account."
