Sunday was a crazy day in the college basketball world, with the stunning upset win by NC State over the Duke Blue Devils. Little did we know, but the day was only going to get a little bit more unpredictable.

Entering the game, the Wisconsin Badgers were the #4 team in the country, and looked like the heavy favourite to leave Piscataway with another win on their resume. They were taking on a Rutgers Scarlet Knight team who was unranked, had losses to Saint Peter’s and Saint Francis (PA) on their resume, and had struggled through their first three games of Big Ten play.

This game had all of the makings for a Wisconsin blowout, but the Scarlet Knights wouldn’t go down quietly.

The Scarlet Knights outscored the Badgers 44 – 27 in the second half, and shocked the college basketball world.

Rutgers scored the 67 – 62 win over the Wisconsin Badgers, giving the school it’s first-ever win over a top 5 program. Their last major upset win was way back in 1982, when they knocked off No. 6 West Virginia.

The Badgers were without big man Frank Kaminsky, which was a huge loss for the team. In the first half, however, it didn’t look like they would need him in the game. This was the first time in 77 games that Kaminsky missed a game due to injury.

Through the opening minutes of the game, the Badgers and Scarlet Knights would alternate baskets, with no team holding a lead larger than 4 points before the first media timeout.

Wisconsin would regain their four-point lead, at 12 – 8, thanks to a Vitto Brown jumper. Out of the second media timeout, Duje Dukan would make a three pointer to extend the lead to 7.

Hot shooting over the next few minutes would see Wisconsin stretch the lead to 12, capped off by a Josh Gasser lay-up. During the run, it appeared that the rout was on for the Badgers.

Kadeem Jack would do his best to keep the Scarlet Knights in the game, scoring four points in the closing 4 minutes to keep Rutgers competitive. A Bronson Koenig three-pointer gave Wisconsin another 12-point lead, which seemingly took the air out of Rutgers at the end of the first half.

At the end of the first stanza, the Badgers held a 35 – 23 lead.

In the second half, the Rutgers duo of Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack took over the game. Wisconsin did everything it could to extend the lead, but either Mack or Jack had an answer for Rutgers.

Mack scored 9 of Rutgers’ first 13 points of the second half, while Jack was responsible for the other 4, as the Scarlet Knights trimmed the deficit to 6 points.

Wisconsin would stretch the lead back to 9, but Rutgers would keep chipping away. Mack would make another three pointer, this one at the 12:23 mark, and the game was all tied up at 46.

A Bronson Koenig jumper at the 8:47 mark would give Wisconsin a 53 – 50 lead, but that’s when Rutgers would go on a run of their own.

Myles Mack would make two costless throws at the 7:19 mark, and the comeback would soon be completed for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers would go on a 10 – 0 run over the next four-plus minutes to take a 60 – 53 lead with just over 3 minutes to play.

Rutgers would never relinquish the lead from then on out. Wisconsin would get within 2 points, with 23 seconds to play, but that’s as close as they would get. Strong costless throw shooting down the stretch kept Rutgers in the lead for good, and the upset was all but official.

The Scarlet Knights pulled off the second upset of the day, knocking off the Wisconsin Badgers 67 – 62.

For the Wisconsin Badgers, Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes led the way in terms of scoring, recording 15 points apiece in the loss. As a team, the Badgers shot 21% (5-of-21) from behind the arc, and Dekker and Josh Gasser were a combined 0-of-9 from long distance.

Losing the game wasn’t the only bad news for Wisconsin, as guard Traevon Jackson left the game in the second half due to a knee injury. The extent of the injury is not yet known.

For Rutgers, the duo of Kadeem Jack and Myles Mack led the way for the Scarlet Knights. Mack scored 19 of his game-high 21 points in the second half to lead the team to victory. Kadeem Jack added in 20 points of his own in the win.

The Wisconsin Badgers (15 – 2, 3 – 1) will look to quickly erase this loss from their memory banks as they get ready to progress in Big Ten play. The Badgers still look like the top contender in the Big Ten, but fans may not be as confident in the team any more. They will look to bounce back in their next outing on Thursday, when they take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

For the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (10 – 7, 2 – 2), this was arguably the biggest win in the program’s history. A few fans stormed the court on Sunday, but the majority were well restrained. Most of them were probably still in their seats, trying to comprehend what exactly just happened. The Scarlet Knights will look to pull off their second upset win in as many outings, as they travel to take on the Maryland Terrapins on Wednesday night.