Rutgers upsets No. 4 Wisconsin

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The only negative Rutgers coach Eddie Jordan could find in the Scarlet Knights’ stunning 67-62 win over the No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday had nothing to do with his players.

“The one thing we have to do a better job of is rushing the court,” Jordan said with a smile. “It wasn’t impactful enough.”

Only a few dozen fans stormed the Rutgers Athletic Center floor in celebration of the Scarlet Knights’ (10-7, 2-2 Big Ten) highest win over ranked team since they defeated No. 6 West Virginia 74-64 on Feb. 27, 1982.

Rutgers’ last victory over any ranked opponent was by the same 67-62 score over No. 24 Pittsburgh on Jan. 5, 2013.

Wisconsin (15-2, 3-1) was playing without its All-America candidate, Frank Kaminsky, who was out due to a concussion. The senior forward took a blow to the head against Purdue on Wednesday when Boilermakers center Isaac Haas inadvertently elbowed him. A Wisconsin spokesman said Kaminsky began experiencing concussion-like symptoms on Thursday.

Kaminsky was replaced in the starting lineup by sophomore guard Bronson Koenig, who scored 12 points.

“Other guys have to step up and play,” said Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan. “You know me, next man up.”

Kaminsky leads the Badgers in scoring (16.9 points per game), rebounds (8.2 per game) and blocks (1.9 per game). He had started 54 consecutive games going back to last season.

“They (Wisconsin) missed their big gun (Kaminsky) and they were handicapped,” said Jordan, who is Rutgers’ all-time leader in assists and steals. “But our guys played great.

“It’s a great win for the program and I’m glad our crowd was here to witness it.”

An emotional Jordan said the historic win hadn’t really sunk in.

“Tomorrow morning when I wake up I’ll have it for you,” he said, wiping his eyes. “It means so much the next morning when you’re by yourself and you ask ‘What happened?”

Senior guard Myles Mack topped Rutgers with 21 points, 19 coming in the second half when the Scarlet Knights overcame a 35-23 Wisconsin halftime lead.

Rutgers forward Kadeem Jack, who overcame a stomach flu that limited his practice this week, scored 20.

Badgers forward Nigel Hayes scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double this season. Wisconsin forward Sam Dekker contributed 15 points and six rebounds.

Wisconsin sank just 5 of its 21 3-point at attempts.

“We had a lot of wide-open shots,” said Ryan. “We started to score inside and that left our 3-point shooters open.

“I’d love to have those shots again. I thought we had more wide-open shots in this game than any other Big Ten game.”

Rutgers used an 8-0 run to grab its first lead of the second half, overcoming a 53-52 deficit. Wisconsin went seven minutes without a field goal before Hayes’ layup with 1:49 got the Badgers within 60-57.

A dunk by center Greg Lewis with 1:27 to go moved Rutgers’ lead to 62-57. Mack scored eight of Rutgers’ final 16 points.

“He (Mack) just willed his way,” Jordan. “It was all will and determination.”

Koenig’s jumper with 24 seconds pulled Wisconsin within 64-62, but Jack’s two free throws iced it at 67-62.

Dekker and Hayes combined for 17 points and 12 rebounds in the first half, leading Wisconsin to a 35-23 advantage at the break. Rutgers made just nine first-half shots, turning the ball over six times while handing out just one assist.

The Scarlet Knights trailed just 10-8 before the Badgers got on a roll. Wisconsin went on a 12-3 spurt to extend their lead to 22-11. Dekker contributed five points in the run.

NOTES: The Scarlet Knights, the worst shooting team in the Big Ten, hit 5 of 7 from 3-point range in the second half and finished the game shooting 54 percent against the league’s top-ranked defensive team. … Wisconsin F Sam Dekker became the 11th active member of the Big Ten’s 1,000-career point club when he scored six points against Purdue on Wednesday. … Entering the day, the Badgers led the nation in fewest turnovers per game (8.5) and fouls per game (13.3). … Rutgers G Bishop Daniels started his first game since Nov. 28. … Scarlet Knights