Rutgers Guard Tariq Francis Wins Co-Big Ten Player of the Week
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Rutgers guard Tariq Francis has been named co-B1G Ten player of the week. Francis was named to the honor after his outstanding game against the University of Pennsylvania, where he netted 34 points en route to the 70-69 Scarlet Knights victory.
Francis spent most of the game playing hero ball for Rutgers, keeping them within striking distance as they trailed the Quakers for most of the game. However, in the final seconds, it was Francis's time to be the game's hero. Penn Forward TJ Power was sent to the foul line late with an opportunity to extend the Quakers two point lead to put the game out of reach. He missed both shots, allowing Francis to grab the rebound, take the ball up the court, and drain a last-second three-pointer to lift Rutgers to victory. It was the only three-pointer he would hit the entire night.
If it were not for Francis' stellar performance, the Knights likely would've lost this game by a large margin. He scored nearly half of Rutgers' 70 points. He shot very efficiently as well, as he recorded 9-of-14 shooting from the field and 15 of 19 from the free-throw line. His ability to draw fouls was also a deciding factor in the Knights' victory.
⬆️ First-half buzzer-beater
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 21, 2025
⬇️ Second-half buzzer-beater
That’s right, Tariq Francis hit a pair of them to lift @RutgersMBB past Penn 🚨 pic.twitter.com/2ttT5f6DCs
Francis transferred to Rutgers this offseason after playing two years at NJIT. In his last season with the Highlanders, he averaged 19.2 points per game. Despite the high scoring output, there was, and to a lesser extent, still is some concern that he will have trouble adjusting to the high major level, since that 19.2 points per game came on 18.4 shots per game.
Rutgers men's basketball will wrap up its out-of-conference play next week against Delaware State. Tip-off for that game will be at 7 pm inside Jersey Mike's Arena. Live coverage will be available on BTN.
