The Good
Tariq Francis
One of the two lone bright spots in a sea of darkness, Francis put up 19 points, dished three assists, and made all three of his free-throw attempts, showing the urgency needed when the game is getting away.
Emmanuel Ogbole
For all the awful play on the court last night, you can’t blame this one on Ogbole. He grabbed 10 rebounds and was 3 of 3 from the field, and continues to grow under coach Jay Young. Why in the world didn’t the team start attacking the rim and feeding Ogbole when the game was still within reach
in the second half is beyond explanation.
The Bad
Another Early Season Clunker Under Pikiell
As Rutgers fans looked at the early-season schedule before Vegas, we all talked about which game Rutgers would let slip away. Saint Bonaventure, UMass, Fordham, Lafayette, and Kennesaw State. Now Central Connecticut can be added to that infamous list. Upsets happen in November, but for Rutgers, they are all too commonplace.
Giving up the ball ten times but only taking it away from the Blue Devils seven times, out-rebounded, and most glaringly outscored in the paint (26 to 24). The one thing this Knight squad can do is barrel towards the rim, create contact, and get to the free-throw line. The Nights only attempted 10 all game, making seven. That number needed to be well into the 20s.
And the three-point defense, or lack thereof, what gives?
“It’s really starting to get on my nerves. We have a lot of new guys, and that’s part of it. Scouting is a big part of it. We have to grow up and grow in how we approach scouting reports. I have to get some guys out there who understand what that job is against every team,” Pikiell told the media postgame.
Get some guys out there who understand? Shouldn’t that have been figured out by now?
“Central Connecticut was one of those teams with five guys who can make threes. They got nine up. The last time we played American, they made nine in the first half. Obviously, our defense wasn’t good at all, and our offense wasn’t good. That’s what happens in a game like this. But I have to find some guys who can defend the three-point shot, for sure.”
Well, yeah, coach, that’s your job. If you’re gonna sit the best defenders on the bench, you better be able to outscore your opponents. That’s basketball 101.
And the Odd…
It’s game five, and Rutgers still hasn’t figured out its rotation. Why we aren’t seeing Dortch and Nwuli in the game early, at the first sign of defensive breakdowns, is maddening. Pikiell spoke about the rotation post-game.
“I have to look at everything. I went with the rotation in the first half that won us four games. I just felt like those guys were our best chance to play with some energy. I told them to be ready at halftime. I have faith in those guys, even though I haven’t played them as much. They came in and gave us a spark,” Pikiell said.
“We’ll try to build on that, and I think a couple others are going to get some opportunities if they keep plugging away. I wanted to try and get more athleticism on the floor. That’s what Lino Marks, Chris Nwuli, and Kaden Powers bring us.”
And there is the key – more “ahleticism”. What’s the point of having guys on the floor who can’t defend the perimeter in today’s age of college basketball? In the age of NIL and the transfer portal, it’s pointless to sit guys on the bench and have them develop. If they have the ability, they have to be on the floor earlier in games, not thrown into a game where you’re down double-digits and frantically trying to come back.
I have been a big proponent of Head Coach Pikiell, but this may be the straw that broke the camel’s back. If they can’t show marked improvement, at least adjusting and playing competitively in the next six games, that includes three tough matchups in Vegas, plus top-ten Purdue and Michigan, AD Zinn has some tough decisions to make.
