Rutgers men’s basketball was crushed in the final leg of its opening five-game home stretch, 67-54, by Central Connecticut State. The Blue Devils would grab the lead with just under 10 minutes to play in the first half, and would not relinquish from there as they only continued to pull away from the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers would pull it within one score a few times in the second half, but was unable to capitalise on its momentum to take the lead. The Knights would pull within three with just over
nine minutes to go in the first half, but that would be their high-water mark as CCSU would again start to pull away from there.
Rutgers was beaten in almost every single category in this game. The Knights shot 36 percent from the floor; the Blue Devils shot 39 percent. Rutgers shot 26 percent from three, CCSU shot 43 percent. The same trend continued in other areas, as the Knights were out-rebounded by 4, committed three more turnovers, and were outscored in the paint by two. Rutgers had two fewer steals and two fewer blocks than the Blue Devils had.
The defense was picked apart by CCSU, and the offense could not generate nearly enough scoring to make up for it.
The one bright spot in this game was guard Tariq Francis, who had 19 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists.
The biggest question for the Knights right now is, where do they go from here? With games against No.20 Tennessee, Notre Dame, No.1 Purdue, No.7 Michigan and Seton Hall coming up, this season can get real ugly real fast.
Rutgers’ next game will be against the Volunteers at the Players Era Tournament in Las Vegas. That game is scheduled for Monday, the 24th and will have a tip-off time of 1 pm.
