By Mel Greenberg
Two years after an upset loss to then-unranked West Virginia in the Big East tournament resulted in a diasterous draw in the NCAA field of 64, it was deja-Mountaineers all over again for the Scarlet Knights Tuesday night in Morgantown.
In the hunt for a No. 1 seed in this year's NCAA event, Rutgers may have spent its margin of error, losing 63-54 to Mike Carey's 12th-ranked team after squandering a10-point lead in the second half.
Two years ago, Rutgers headed into its game against the Mountaineers perceived to have a strong shot at a No. 2 NCAA seed by getting to the Big East championship or perhaps even a No. 1 by winning it. The competition for those perks was extremely tight.
When Rutgers lost to West Virginia, 56-40. in the semifinals -- Carey only brought one suit to Hartford, expecting to be heading home quickly -- the Scarlet Knights fell to a No. 3 and then landed in the Cleveland Regional against Tennessee. The other two teams were North Carolina and Purdue, making the region the strongest of the four in terms of the four top seeds.
Had the Scarlet Knights beaten West Virginia, they would have been spared of that configuration.
That brings us to Tuesday night.
On a lesser scale of simply jockeying for positions in the conference race, the setback can be brushed aside as just another night in the bear that the Big East has become.
But Rutgers, after rising from nowhere to the NCAA championship game last season, has been operating on a higher level as a threat to finish on a more successful note this time.
Navigating on one of the nation's top schedules, Rutgers had survived to be one of five candidates for the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA field.
Top-ranked Connecticut, the Big East favorite, and Tennessee. are considered locks for two of those slots, barring some weakening by conference opponents the rest of the way.
That leaves Atlantic Coast powers Maryland and North Carolina with the Scarlet Knights in a three-for-two fight, which then becomes something similar to gymnastics or ice skating competition where slight stumbles could become costly when bodies of works are compared.
When Maryland lost at North Carolina in a thrilling double overtime game in Chapel Hill, N.C.,on Saturday, the Terrapins' setback became helpful to Rutgers, which already has a win over them.
The Scarlet Knights still have at least two games against Connecticut and a visit to Tennessee _ games in which losses would not be costly themselves because Rutgers would be considered the underdog. Obviously, wins would do wonders.
Looking ahead several weeks ago, it was said here, Rutgers could probably afford one Big East upset to a respected, but lesser-regarded team because of the nature of the conference and the overall schedule coach C. Vivian Stringer put together.
Consider that margin of error spent at West Virginia.
Furthermore, because of the nature of the game -- the Mountaineers winning on a 21-4 run without help from their top two scorers - concern arises as to how Rutgers might fare Saturday at No. 14 Pittsburgh. The first of the Connecticut games follows at home Tuesday before the Feb. 11th trip to Tennessee.
Furthermore, Rutgers must still play Notre Dame, DePaul, and Syracuse, besides the second Connecticut game and whatever the draw of the Big East tournament field presents itself.
A stumble to a No. 2 seed in itself is not terrible considering the depth of competition. But then travel assigments become less favorable and the matchups can also become more arduous earlier in the NCAA tournament.
And in the three-for-2 comparison to date, North Carolina has a narrow loss to Tennessee and one, which was partially donated, to Connecticut along with the win over Maryland.
Maryland has close head-to-head losses at Rutgers and North Carolina.
Rutgers, in outside games with the level one elite groups, now has narrow losses to l Level I-A Stanford and Duke, and the loss to West Virginia.
For now, because of games yet to be played, Rutgers stays in the overall hunt, but the ice has become much thinner.
Meanwhile, on the other side, it was a big night for the Mountaineers and as well as Syracuse in terms of virtual ticket-punching to the NCAA field.
If there were still some questions as the real worth of those two programs who have shot up the Big East ladder, West Virginia proved itself with its win over Rutgers, while Syracuse, which joined the AP for the first time two weeks ago, showed its worth with its narrow 69-66 win at No. 23 in DePaul.
Both may even be in the hunt for No. 4 NCAA seeds. Pitt, which has risen to its highest-ever ranking at No. 14 and visits Villanova Wednesday night, is another contender.
-- Mel
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