There certainly has been no easy entry into Big Ten play for Rutgers.

On Tuesday, the Scarlet Knights opened their conference schedule at home against No. 1 Purdue and lost 81-65.

So what's next for Rutgers? A game on Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Mich., against No. 3 Michigan (7-0, 0-0), which many feel is the best team in the country at the moment.

Welcome to conference play, indeed.

"It doesn't get any easier in this league," Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. "Michigan is as good as any team in the country. So they're up next and they're an excellent rebounding team, too. So we got to figure that thing out."

To Pikiell's point, Rutgers (5-4, 0-1) was outrebounded 36-25 against Purdue. Performing better on the boards will be point of emphasis against a Michigan team that might ha

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