The Rutgers men's basketball team ended a difficult 2011-2012 season on a down note Tuesday, getting blown out by Villanova, 70-49, in opening-round play of the Big East Conference tournament. The Scarlet Knights finished 14-19, but head coach Mike Rice is optimistic about the future of his team -- which featured all underclassmen.
"It's going to happen. Rutgers is going to happen. I keep telling anybody who's going to listen," Rice said Tuesday night. "You get bigger and stronger. We need to be‑‑ we now know what we don't know going into October. They all thought they knew it. They had the answer. ... But these guys will get it. They had incredible learning experiences. They all developed."
Rice expects his team to be better next season.
"They're going to understand what makes Division I teams successful, what makes winning basketball teams, making winning plays, playing for one another, doing your job, doing all the little details that goes into it," he said.