1. Another cupcake, another nail biter. Rutgers just can’t seem to put a full game together. In this game, AU blitzed Rutgers with a fast pace on offense and an aggressive man defense, and we just didn’t look ready for either, falling behind 22-11 in the first 10 minutes. To their credit, Rutgers regrouped and tied the game 33-33 at the half.
2. In the second half, Rutgers did a much better job defending AU’s quick offense. And after shooting 9-21 from deep in the first half, AU curiously stopped shooting threes and instead tried to pound the ball inside.
3. Despite taking an 11-point lead in the second half, Rutgers once again couldn’t put away a lesser opponent, and AU chipped it back to single digits time and again.
4. Rutgers sealed this game at the foul line, going 24-30 (80%), including 7-8 down the stretch by JMike, Grant, Buchanan, and Francis.
5. MVP tonight was Francis, who scored 19 points overall in just 24 minutes, including 14 points in the second half to spur Rutgers past the Eagles. But right behind him was Dylan Grant, who had another double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Solid help came from Denis Badalau, who chipped in with 10 points (4-8, 2-3). Buchanan also had 10 points, with 6-9 at the line.
6. Overall, the offense looked out of synch, but managed to score 80 points on the strength of good shooting from the field (25-53 overall for 47%, and 6-15 from deep for 40%) and at the charity stripe (24-30 for 80%). Most of the offense was generated by iso, with Francis or Buchanan operating from the top and either dribble driving to the hole or kicking out.
7. Unfortunately, the defense hasn’t hit its stride yet, allowing AU to go 12-32 (38%) from 3-pt range, many of which were on open looks, and giving up 71 points to a low major opponent. AU ran a ton of motion and pick and roll action to free up shooters, and we couldn’t stay with them on numerous possessions. Positive within a negative, AU started 6-9 from deep in the first ten minutes, but then only hit 6 of their last 23 over the rest of the game. But Rutgers can’t let teams get off to such a hot start, as they won’t be able to come back against better competition. Our defensive efficiency on KenPom has now plummeted to #84 (102.3), dropping our overall KenPom rating to #95.
8. Freshman update - as noted, Badalau had a solid game with 10 points and a couple of blocks. Harun Zrno had 4 points in limited action, hitting a three and 1-2 at the line. But it was a quiet night for Nwuli (2 points, but 2-2 at the line) and Lino Mark (2 points), who is struggling to get comfortable.
9. Center update - not many points from our 3-headed center, but they played solid defense and did a good job on the boards. Ogbole (4), Fall (5), and Dortch (5) combined for 14 rebounds. Manny also did a good job with rim protection, garnering 3 blocks. Special shout-out to Manny for one play where Francis drove down the lane, passed it to Manny, who then gathered the ball, spun to his left, and kissed the ball off the glass for a layup. He could not have made that play last year.
2. In the second half, Rutgers did a much better job defending AU’s quick offense. And after shooting 9-21 from deep in the first half, AU curiously stopped shooting threes and instead tried to pound the ball inside.
3. Despite taking an 11-point lead in the second half, Rutgers once again couldn’t put away a lesser opponent, and AU chipped it back to single digits time and again.
4. Rutgers sealed this game at the foul line, going 24-30 (80%), including 7-8 down the stretch by JMike, Grant, Buchanan, and Francis.
5. MVP tonight was Francis, who scored 19 points overall in just 24 minutes, including 14 points in the second half to spur Rutgers past the Eagles. But right behind him was Dylan Grant, who had another double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Solid help came from Denis Badalau, who chipped in with 10 points (4-8, 2-3). Buchanan also had 10 points, with 6-9 at the line.
6. Overall, the offense looked out of synch, but managed to score 80 points on the strength of good shooting from the field (25-53 overall for 47%, and 6-15 from deep for 40%) and at the charity stripe (24-30 for 80%). Most of the offense was generated by iso, with Francis or Buchanan operating from the top and either dribble driving to the hole or kicking out.
7. Unfortunately, the defense hasn’t hit its stride yet, allowing AU to go 12-32 (38%) from 3-pt range, many of which were on open looks, and giving up 71 points to a low major opponent. AU ran a ton of motion and pick and roll action to free up shooters, and we couldn’t stay with them on numerous possessions. Positive within a negative, AU started 6-9 from deep in the first ten minutes, but then only hit 6 of their last 23 over the rest of the game. But Rutgers can’t let teams get off to such a hot start, as they won’t be able to come back against better competition. Our defensive efficiency on KenPom has now plummeted to #84 (102.3), dropping our overall KenPom rating to #95.
8. Freshman update - as noted, Badalau had a solid game with 10 points and a couple of blocks. Harun Zrno had 4 points in limited action, hitting a three and 1-2 at the line. But it was a quiet night for Nwuli (2 points, but 2-2 at the line) and Lino Mark (2 points), who is struggling to get comfortable.
9. Center update - not many points from our 3-headed center, but they played solid defense and did a good job on the boards. Ogbole (4), Fall (5), and Dortch (5) combined for 14 rebounds. Manny also did a good job with rim protection, garnering 3 blocks. Special shout-out to Manny for one play where Francis drove down the lane, passed it to Manny, who then gathered the ball, spun to his left, and kissed the ball off the glass for a layup. He could not have made that play last year.
