Rutgers is only three games into its season and coach Eddie Jordan is already ripping his team.
After the Scarlet Knights blew a 16-point second-half lead at St. John's and lost the game 61-59, Jordan publicly called out his team for its effort.
"I told my team, and I've never used this term before, they just out-hearted us," Jordan said. "They just out-hearted us. They just had more grit, more determination and more will. That was our game plan. We have to will our personality on the game ... But down the stretch, they had more will and determination than we did. That's why they got rebounds and we just weren't focused enough to make free throws."
St. John's pulled down 19 offensive boards, which turned into 17 second-chance points, and outrebounded Rutgers 50-39 for the game. Rutgers went just 5-for-14 at the charity stripe and made 1-of-6 free throws in the final 4:18 while St. John's mounted its comeback.
"I don't know if I can teach heart," said Jordan, the former coach of the NBA's Washington Wizards. "They just out-hearted us. Again, I've never used that term in my coaching career, but I use it tonight."
On a positive note, Rutgers is still 2-1 to start the season and the collapse could have come against worse teams, as St. John's is an impressive 3-0.