Story byBrian FonsecaSun, March 1, 2026 at 8:54 PM UTC·4 min readCOLLEGE PARK, Md. — Rutgers was cruising toward one of its biggest wins of the season, crushing Maryland by as much as 20 points during a dominant first half. Then the Scarlet Knights underwent one of the biggest meltdowns in program history, blowing a 19-point halftime lead to put itself in position for one of its worst-ever losses. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut head coach Steve Pikiell’s team got straightened out in time to avoid disaster, outscoring the Terrapins 23-17 in the final 11 minutes at the XFinity Center to earn a 69-65 win on Sunday afternoon. The result marks a major step toward Rutgers (12-17, 5-13) earning a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament, which it could secure with a win in either of its final two games of the regular season (at Michigan State, vs. Penn State) this week.“It’s always tough at this time of the year when you haven’t had the season that you want to keep the guys focused on what’s important, and what’s important is coming down to Maryland to play a really good basketball team," Pikiell said.