Mia Pauldo’s opening week has put her in rare company.
The Rutgers standout was named one of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale National Players of the Week on Tuesday morning after powering the Scarlet Knights to a 3-0 start. Over those three games, Pauldo averaged 25.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 5.0 steals, a stat line that shows just how much she has controlled every part of Rutgers’ early-season surge.
Pauldo has been the Scarlet Knights’ go-to scorer from the jump, finishing as the team’s leading scorer in all three games while topping 20 points each time. She opened with 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists and six steals in Rutgers’ 83-52 win over LIU on Nov. 2, then came back with 22 points, six assists and three rebounds in a 75-62 victory against La Salle on Nov. 4.
Her biggest night came Sunday against Indiana State, when she erupted for a career-high 33 points in Rutgers’ 107-76 win on Nov. 8.
Pauldo added seven assists, seven steals and five rebounds in that game, helping the Scarlet Knights reach a season-high 107 points - the program’s most since 2019. It also marked Rutgers’ first 30-point performance since 2024.
Through three games, Pauldo has piled up 76 points, which ranks second nationally and first in the Big Ten. She has also added 18 assists, 15 rebounds and 15 steals, giving Rutgers a player who can score, distribute and disrupt possessions on the defensive end.
The 5-foot-6 forward was also named to the Big Ten Honor Roll on Monday.
In Other News...
Nebraska Heads To Rutgers With A Defensive Problem It Must Solve
Nebraskas trip to Rutgers comes with both sides forced into lineup changes, and that usually means the first few series can tell you a lot about how well each staff has adjusted. The Cornhuskers are trying to patch together their defense after injuries hit linebacker Owen Chambliss and defensive back Andrew Marshall, while Rutgers is also reshuffling its offense with other players set to step into bigger roles.
For the Scarlet Knights, the most noticeable absence is at wide receiver, where KJ Duffs injury has thinned out a passing game that already had to account for Nebraskas defensive issues. Rutgers will need production from elsewhere to keep its offense on schedule, and Nebraskas replacements on the back end and in the middle of the field will be tested early by a team that knows it has to find answers of its own. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Walks Into A Rutgers Mess With Schiano Under Pressure
Rutgers heads into its matchup with Nebraska carrying a familiar mix of frustration and uncertainty, and the conversation around the program has only grown louder as the losses pile up. Michael Cavallo, a Rutgers football analyst, laid out the state of the team ahead of the game, pointing to the Scarlet Knights losing record, the pressure surrounding Greg Schiano and the uneven performance of the roster as reasons the outlook has darkened.
The offense has taken another hit with the recent injury to star wide receiver KJ Duff, adding to a stretch where Rutgers has struggled to find traction in key areas. Even with Schiano still in place, the questions around the program are hard to ignore, and Cavallos read on this one leans toward Nebraska, based on how the two teams have performed and the changes each has made recently. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Has A Real Shot To End One Frustrating Nebraska Trend
Rutgers gets a chance to keep a familiar Big Ten opponent uncomfortable when Nebraska comes to town, and this one arrives with a little more intrigue than the usual conference matchup. The Cornhuskers have been searching for answers on offense, which has only added to the sense that this could be another tight, low-scoring game between two teams that know each other well enough to expect a grind.
For Rutgers, the opportunity is obvious even if the challenge is steep. The Scarlet Knights have been close in recent meetings and will try to turn that into something more meaningful in front of their home crowd, while Nebraska still carries the edge in the series and the respect of oddsmakers as a narrow favorite. It sets up as the kind of game Rutgers has to drag into its preferred style if it wants to finally change the script. [Read more 🡒]