Tag: Caleb McConnell

Rutgers men’s basketball received multiple Big Ten honors

With an overall record of 18-13 (10-10 Big Ten), five Scarlet Knights received Big Ten Conference honors for Rutgers men’s basketball.

Five Rutgers basketball players received Big Ten Conference honors this season, showing solid recognition for yet another winning season for the Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers finished the season 18-13 (10-10 Big Ten). It is a fourth straight winning season for Rutgers. Should they make the NCAA Tournament, it would be for a third straight season, a potential first for the program.

After being awarded the ESPN College Gameday National Defensive Player of the Year last week and a top-ten semifinalist for the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year, Rutgers senior guard Caleb McConnell received Co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. One of Rutgers captains, McConnell shared the defensive honor with Northwestern’s Chase Audige.

He is the fifth player ever to win the award in two-straight seasons.

McConnell finished the regular season wit a Big Ten best 2.6 steals-per-game, anchoring a Rutgers defense that was seventh in the nation.

Also, McConnell is now second in all-time steals for the Scarlet Knights, trailing Eddie Jordan by six steals for first place. He was also selected All-Big Ten Defensive First Team and All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (Media & Coaches).

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Rutgers’ big man Cliff Omoruyi was another Scarlet Knight to receive multiple Big Ten honors. The junior center was selected First-Team All-Defense, averaging 2.1 blocks per game. Omoruyi totaled 65 blocks throughout the season, causing havoc in the paint. He is third in the Big Ten in blocks, ranking No. 23 in the nation. On top of the All-Big Ten Defensive First Team, Omoruyi received All-Big Ten Second Team (Media) and All-Big Ten Third Team (Coaches).

Rutgers senior guards Cam Spencer and Paul Mulcahy received honors, with both players being selected All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (Media & Coaches). Spencer was Rutgers’ most consistent scorer, averaging 12.7 points per game. Meanwhile, Mulcahy averaged 8.2 points and 4.9 assists per game for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers forward Mawot Mag went down with a season-ending injury in February but received recognition for his hard work. Mag was awarded the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the season.​

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RU Caleb McConnell wins the ESPN College Gameday National DPOY award

Rutgers men’s basketball’s fifth-year captain Caleb McConnell wins the ESPN College Gameday Defensive Player of the Year award.

Rutgers men’s basketball’s Caleb McConnell won the ESPN College Gameday National Defensive Player of the Year Award on Saturday. The Rutgers fifth-year captain was one of three nominated players, defeating Virginia guard Reece Beekman and UCLA guard Jaylen Clark for this prestigious award.

McConnell is also  a semifinalist for the 2023 Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year.

 Earlier this season, Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said that “McConnell is not only the best defender in the conference but the best in the whole country.”

ESPN backed Pikiell’s statement, maning McConnell the number one defensive player in the country. McConnell has been averaging 2.4 steals per game, ranking him eleventh in the country and No. 1 in the Big Ten Conference. Rutgers can run multiple defensive sets knowing McConnell’s ability to guard positions 1 through 5.

McConnell has been an anchor for a Rutgers team ranked 8th in the nation for their defense. Missing his first five games of the season, McConnell is averaging 9.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. Caleb is third all-time on the Rutgers steal list with 208, 12 away from tracking down Eddie Jordan’s 220 career steals record. The Scarlet Knights are 18-1 (9-0 Big Ten) when holding their opponents to 65 points or fewer. McConnell guards each team’s top scorer, holding them to some of their lowest-scoring outputs of the season. Rutgers’ senior guard takes pride in his defensive efforts and will continue to help the Scarlet Knights win games.

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Penn State collapses in second half to lose heartbreaker against Rutgers

Bubble burst? Penn State’s second-half collapse vs. Rutgers was a bad look for tournament hopes.

The loud popping sound coming from State College was Penn State’s March Madness bubble bursting. At the final buzzer Sunday night, the chances of getting an outright bid vanished.

Up 19 at one point in the second half, Penn State fell to Rutgers 59-56.

This game was extremely important for the Nittany Lions. They started to play their best basketball at the most important time of the season in the past couple of weeks. Coming into this game, they were riding a three-game winning streak, including two on the road.

Early on, it looked like Penn State was well on its way to a fourth in a row. They used a 22-4 run to take a 26-9 lead with five minutes left in the first half.

Everything was rolling in the first half. [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] had 11 points and [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] 10 points. They went into the locker room up 31-21.

Then, wheels fell off the wagon in the second half.

After starting with a 9-0 run to push the lead to 19 points, it was all downhill from there. The offense, which is normally so good at home, was dreadful.

Penn State finished the game shooting 37.0% from the field and 27.6% from three. Only seven field goals were made the entire second half, three of which came during the early 9-0 run.

After scoring 11 points in the first half, Pickett was held scoreless the rest of the way. Senior guards [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] and [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag] went a combined 2-23 from the floor and 1-18 from three.

Penn State went nine minutes down the stretch without a made field goal, missing the last 14 shots they attempted. The cold stretch was enough for Rutgers to close the gap and escape State College with a win.

Freshman guard [autotag]Derek Simpson[/autotag] led the way for Rutgers with 16 points off the bench. Senior guards [autotag]Cam Spencer[/autotag] and [autotag]Caleb McConnell[/autotag] were also in double figures with 13 and 12 points respectively.

Wynter finished with a team high 16 points for Penn State. Pickett was the only other person in double figures with 11.

It was the worst time of the year to have one of the worst performances all season. Putting it frankly, it was also an unacceptable loss.

Coming off a stretch that put him in All-American contention, Pickett can’t go scoreless in the second half of one of the most important games of the year. He didn’t attempt a shot in the second half. Lundy can’t go 0-11 from three at home in this type of game.

The best players are supposed to step up and make plays when things are difficult. That didn’t happen for this Penn State team on Sunday.

Now, by most accounts, the hopes for an at large bid is almost all but gone.

Head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] said in the postgame press conference that he’s not worried about his team for the remainder of the season, citing the fact there are more games to play.

We’ll see how Penn State responds Wednesday night when they go on the road to face second place Northwestern.

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Big Ten Basketball: Rutgers vs Michigan prediction, point spread, odds, best bet

Rutgers men’s basketball (17-10, 9-7 Big Ten) will face Michigan (15-12, 9-7 Big Ten) on Thursday night looking to win their second straight game.

Rutgers men’s basketball (17-10, 9-7 Big Ten) will face Michigan (15-12, 9-7 Big Ten) on Thursday night with the Scarlet Knights looking to win their second straight game. After a rough three-game stretch that included losses to Indiana, Illinois, and Nebraska, Rutgers was able to get back into the win column on Saturday. However, they will be facing a talented Michigan team.

While the 2022-2023 campaign has been full of ups and down for the Wolverines, they are averaging 73.5 points per game. Rutgers defense will be tested without one of its best players in this matchup.

If the Scarlet Knights can limit the Wolverines opportunities, then their success at home will continue. For Michigan, the key will be to apply pressure on every possession and force the Scarlet Knights to be perfect offensively.

To help you prepare for the game and make smart decisions, here are the latest details from Tipico Sportsbook.

The game starts at 8:30 p.m. ET and be seen on FS1.

Big Ten Basketball: Rutgers vs Nebraska prediction, point spread, odds, best bet

Rutgers men’s basketball will face Nebraska on Tuesday night looking to snap their two-game losing streak.

Rutgers men’s basketball (16-9, 8-6 Big Ten) will face Nebraska (12-14, 5-10 Big Ten) on Tuesday night looking to snap their two-game losing streak.

They have a favorable matchup in Nebraska, who has struggled with the season winding down. While the 2022-2023 campaign has yet to go as planned for the Cornhuskers, they will be motivated to prove themselves against one of the best teams in the conference. This game should be full of fireworks early on.

If the Rutgers offense can put the pressure on early, it will be a short night for Nebraska. In their last two games, the Scarlet Knights have failed to pass the sixty-point mark and gone 0-2. That will be key for Nebraska as they look to stun the Rutgers faithful.

To help you prepare for the game and make smart decisions, here are the latest details from Tipico Sportsbook.

The game starts at 8:00 p.m. ET can be seen on the Big Ten Network.

The underappreciated Caleb McConnell has a big game for Rutgers in win over Clemson

Caleb McConnell had a big scoring night for Rutgers men’s basketball in a win over Clemson.

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Caleb McConnell put together a strong effort on both ends of the court, the Rutgers senior guard’s steady play keying a 74-64 win over Clemson on Tuesday night.

It was a breakout game offensively for the underappreciated McConnell, who scored 16 points and added six rebounds, two assists and a block in the Scarlet Knights most impressive win of the season. For McConnell, it was the first time all season that he scored double digits.

“Really, it’s not always about the offense. Everybody has been looking at the offensive side, especially me coming into this game. I feel like I affect the game in so many other ways than putting the ball in the basket, especially getting my teammates better,” McConnell said after the game.

“Especially getting this big win, that’s all that matters at the end of the day, it’s getting wins.”

Rutgers improved to 4-3 on the season with the win.

McConnell’s scoring this season has been a bit off. Despite being among the leaders in minutes played, three this season he failed to score. In two of those games, Rutgers has lost.

He averaged 6.7 points per game last year and came into Tuesday night averaging 3.3 points per game.

The win came against a Clemson side that made the NCAA Tournament last year. They lost in the first round to Rutgers.

The Tigers are now 5-3 on the season.

The win produced a dancing Steve Pikiell, the Rutgers head coach, when he entered the locker room.

“It’s lit, it’s always lit. When you get a big ‘W’ – it’s always lit,” McConnell said.