Ace Bailey health update: Rutgers HC uncovers real reason behind star player's struggles at Maryland

Rutgers freshman guard Ace Bailey sat out the remainder of the second half in the Scarlet Knights' 90-81 loss to No. 18-ranked Maryland due to flu-like illness, coach Steve Pikiell said.

Bailey played 17 minutes in the first half and seven in the second before Pikiell subbed him out. The 6-foot-10 star finished with four points — on 2-of-4 shooting — four rebounds and three assists.

In a post-game interview, Pikiell said he admires Bailey's resolve to play on despite his situation.

"He's had the same thing that all these guys have," Pikiell said (0:38). "He's been sick and couldn't go. He really tried and love him for the effort."

The Scarlet Knights coach hopes Bailey would recover as soon as possible to help the team rekindle its fading NCAA Tournament hopes.

"He just tried to gut it out," Pikiell said. (2:07) "You’ve got to have great energy in these games and it’s hard to do that when you’re not feeling well. So it’s something we’ve got to deal with. He’ll have a couple of days here to heal up."

Bailey appeared in 22 of Rutgers' 24 games this season, averaging 19.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. This season, he had three 30-point performances, including a career-best 39 points against Indiana on January 2.

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Rutgers to play like there's no tomorrow in the next seven Big Ten games

Rutgers (12-12, 5-8 in Big Ten) will be in a win-now mode in its next seven games to have a chance to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Scarlet Knights have Iowa, Oregon, Washington, USC, Michigan, Purdue and Minnesota remaining in their schedule.

It'll be a tall order for Rutgers to win all these games, with four of them taking place on the road (Washington, Oregon, No. 24 Michigan and No. 7 Purdue). The seven-game gauntlet begins on Feb. 12 against Iowa at the Jersey Mike's Arena.

The Hawkeyes (13-10, 4-8) have lost three straight and six of their last seven games. Four players have averaged double figures for the Fran McCaffery-coached team, led by Owen Freeman, who averages 16.7 points, and Payton Sandfort (15.9 ppg).