Tag: Cliff Omoruyi

UCLA among schools to reach out to Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi

UCLA is one of a long list of programs to reach out to Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi.

Rutgers big man Cliff Omoruyi is arguably the most sought-after transfer in the portal early on.

The talented big averaged 10.4 PPG with 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks this past season but is looking for another program. So far, a flurry of schools have reached out to him, and UCLA is one of them, per Adam Zagoria.

Here is the list of schools that have reached out to Omoruyi so far:

  • Alabama
  • Auburn
  • DePaul
  • Georgetown
  • Florida
  • Oregon
  • USC
  • Georgia Tech
  • Ole Miss
  • Mississippi State
  • Oregon State
  • UCLA
  • St. John’s
  • Villanova
  • UConn

Omoruyi was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive team and has been a hue piece for the Scarlet Knights. All signs indicate that St. John’s and Rick Pitino are the favorites to land the big man, but this is a long list of talented programs that have inquired about him.

He is arguably the most important player in the portal so far, and UCLA being in the mix is a good sign.

Rapheal Davis believes Cliff Omoruyi should return for a final season with Rutgers basketball

Rapheal Davis believes that Cliff Omoruyi should return to Rutgers.

If Cliff Omoruyi returns for one more year with Rutgers basketball, then the expectation is that the Scarlet Knights become a contender for the Big Ten championship as well as a run in the NCAA Tournament.

That’s the projection from Rapheal Davis, the Big Ten Network analyst who believes that there is a convincing argument to be made for Omoruyi to return to Rutgers. An All-Big Ten selection, Omoruyi averaged 10.4 points per game this season.

He also averaged 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.

Following last week’s regular-season finale, a loss to Ohio State at Jersey Mike’s Arena, Omoruyi sounded like he was going to leave Rutgers. Davis, a former standout at Purdue and now an analyst with the Big Ten Network, believes that Omoruyi should return for a final season at Rutgers.

“In today’s world, it’s never goodbye,” Davis told Rutgers Wire last week.

“I think obviously the world we live in, anything can happen. I don’t know Cliff. I don’t know. his family situation.. I don’t know much about him. But I know what I’d be thinking (that) if I had a chance to come back and play with NIL and  I can play with two guys that are coming in and have a real chance to win the Big Ten championship and then go for a run to the Final Four – I think I would come back.”

Davis is referring to Omoruyi partnering with incoming freshmen Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, both five star players.

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Already, three Rutgers players have entered the transfer portal, with guard Derek Simpson the most noticeable player set to leave the program. Were Omoruyi to return and not leave for the NBA or enter the transfer portal, Davis thinks Rutgers could be special.

Omoruyi was an All-Big Ten honorable mention.

“So I think the Cliff next season with a guy like Ace Bailey and a guy like Dylan Harper…I think he just goes back to being just a really, really good defender, an NBA-level defender,” Davis said.

“And then he becomes just a lot better on offense He won’t be asked to do as much because they have guys around him that can create for him. I think Cliff is one of those guys who is an NBA player when he has NBA players around him. I think next season he’ll have a couple around him.”

It was an emotional Senior Day for Rutgers basketball, Cliff Omoruyi

Rutgers men’s basketball had a tough loss on Sunday against Ohio State.

For Cliff Omoruyi, it appears to be the last dance with Rutgers men’s basketball. Sunday’s home loss to Ohio State is likely the final home game for a player who has meant so much to the program over the past four years.

Rutgers dropped their final game of the Big Ten regular season on Sunday, 73-51 to Ohio State. The rejuvenated Buckeyes were simply too much in the second half for Rutgers.

If this is the last game at Jersey Mike’s Arena for Omoruyi, and there is plenty of reason to believe that is the case, then it was a disappointing finale to one of the best careers in program history.

Omoruyi came to Rutgers when it wasn’t a cool thing to do so, the local kid with strong national offers believing in the direction of Steve Pikiell’s program. He spent four years at Rutgers, a time that included two NCAA Tournament appearances and a trip to the NIT.

Against Ohio State, he had 10 points, seven rebounds and a block in the loss.

Now Rutgers (15-16, 7-13 Big Ten) will need a miracle in this week’s conference tournament to get to the postseason.

“Cliff’s recruiting journey started when he was a freshman. With the path he’s on, he’s going to be a top-20 scorer in school history,” Pikiell told reporters after Sunday’s game.

“He also achieved the dean’s list for just about any semester. It’s sad when they have to go. There aren’t going to be any more four-year guys, that isn’t where this program is headed. The fact that they stayed and continued to do what they do for our university, today didn’t go well but these guys represent us in every way, and couldn’t be more thankful. I appreciate you asking about them because it is their program.”

Omoruyi averaged 10.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game this season for Rutgers.

Scroll down and check out the best photos from Senior Day for Rutgers basketball in their loss against Ohio State!

Rutgers Cliff Omoruyi collected his 800th career rebound in a win over Indiana

Rutgers Cliff Omoruyi collected his 800th career rebound in a 66-57 victory over Indiana as the Scarlet Knights recorded their ninth win.

Rutgers basketball center Cliff Omoruyi collected his 800th career rebound in a 66-57 victory over Indiana, the Wednesday win continuing a stretch of dominance for the Scarlet Knights over their Big Ten rival.

Omoruyi is part of a select group of Rutgers player ever to reach 800 career rebounds, moving past Gene Armstead for sole possession of seventh place on Rutgers’s leaderboard.

Against Indiana, the Scarlet Knights tied a season-high 51 team rebounds, tying the most in a Big Ten regulation game. Omoruyi led the way for the Scarlet Knights on the boards, recording 11 rebounds in a winning effort.

He would finish Tuesday’s game with five points, 11 rebounds, five blocks, one steal, and one assist. Omoruyi’s five recorded blocks were the third most of the season, registering multiple blocks in 12 of 15 games this season.

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Omoruyi has started 15 games for the Scarlet Knights this season, averaging 10.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He has registered 155 points, 136 total rebounds, 52 blocks, and nine assists, averaging 27.6 minutes per game this season.

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The Benin City, Nigeria native is coming off a 2022-23 season where he recorded 72 blocks, ranking 15th in the nation, and 325 rebounds, tying for 17th in the country, as he continues to play at a high level for the Scarlet Knights this season.

 

 

Steve Pikiell hoping to rebound from Rutgers basketball’s latest loss

Rutgers basketball struggled to rebound in their latest loss.

Steve Pikiell said it is on him to address his team’s rebounding woes. The Rutgers basketball head coach’s comments came after his team was dominated on the glass in a 70-60 loss to Mississippi State.

In a year where it was obvious that Rutgers basketball was re-loading and getting ready for its top-10 class coming in next year, there was always going to be a bit of a talent deficiency. But it was still surprising to see Rutgers get out-rebounded 47-26 on Saturday afternoon.

The hallmark of Rutgers the last five years under Pikiell has been its toughness. And with one of the Big Ten’s top centers in Cliff Omoruyi returning for his senior year, it is especially surprising to see Rutgers get out-worked off the glass the way they did on Saturday.

“I watched too much film and I think they are one of the best defensive teams in the country and I thought for twenty minutes we hung around, but it’s on me to figure out this rebounding thing,” Pikiell told reporters after the game.

“We didn’t do a great job on the backboard and obviously that led to free throws. We played an NCAA tournament team and I told our guys if we can find a way for 40 minutes then we would have a chance. This was a big, physical basketball game and we didn’t take care of the backboards the way we needed to.”

Omoruyi had 3 points and no rebounds against Mississippi State. He played just 20 minutes with foul trouble.

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Rutgers saw their two-game winning streak snapped and are now 7-4 (0-1 Big Ten) on the season.

Figuring out the rebounding issue ahead of the start of the Big Ten regular season schedule. Keeping Omoruyi on the court and out of foul trouble would help Rutgers find some balance in rebounding.

“He was in foul trouble today and that was really tough. He never really got into the flow at all. We played on some runs without him and when I left him in he got two quick fouls right away,” Pikiell said.

“We couldn’t get a break today and obviously, we need Cliff. He’s very good, but it’s a team game and it’s on me to make sure he doesn’t get into foul trouble. We have to play better as a group and I have to do better.”

What did former NBA star (and LIU head coach) Rod Strickland say about Cliff Omoruyi?

Rutgers basketball got a big Saturday game from Cliff Omoruyi.

Cliff Omrouyi had the kind of game on Saturday that Rutgers men’s basketball hopes will be a breakout for the rest of the year. Omoruyi had a season-high in scoring to lead Rutgers to an 83-61 win over Long Island University.

With 25 points, Omoruyi scored more points on Saturday than he did in his three previous games, combined (22 points). Omoruyi’s struggled a bit offensively, but in the win over LIU and a week ago in a win at Seton Hall, he looked stronger and more fluid offensively.

Omoruyi was a very efficient 12-of-15 from the floor against LIU.

Rod Strickland, the coach of LIU, played nearly 1,100 games in the NBA. He praised Omoruyi’s display on Saturday. He was one of the top point guards of his generation in the NBA.

“He’s physical and has great athleticism,” Strickland told reporters after the game.

“I think someone like that can’t give them any angles.  You have to try to get him to shoot the ball over time.  I think at times we did that but he played well.  He’s athletic and strong.”

Next up for Rutgers is a game against Mississippi State at the Prudential Center (Newark, New Jersey).

Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell also praised Omoruyi for what was easily his best display of the season.

“First of all, he scored his 1,000th point. I told him you have to start working on the next 1,000th, so we’re 25 into it,” Pikiell told reporters after the game.

“He was locked in, he had good real estate during the game, and he moved well. There were a couple more to that he would probably like to have back. We got him the ball when he was available, and I thought we moved the ball side to side and when we did it is hard to guard him. So he did a great job and he’s been practicing.”

Gallery: Rutgers basketball celebrates a big – and important – win over rival Seton Hall

Rutgers basketball got a much-needed win on Saturday night over Seton Hall.

It was a thorough and complete performance from Rutgers basketball on Saturday night in a 70-63 win over rival Seton Hall. It is the kind of performance that Rutgers hopes they can build on with the heart of the Big Ten schedule fast approaching.

With the win, Rutgers is now 6-3 (0-1 Big Ten) on the season and they captured the Garden State Hardwood Classic Trophy, the annual rivalry trophy for their game against Seton Hall. It was the first time since 2013 that Rutgers beat Seton Hall at the Prudential Center (Newark, New Jersey).

It was a bit of a breakout performance for Cliff Omoruyi, who had 11 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots. Noah Fernandes led all Rutgers scorers with 19 points.

Also encouraging was that Mawot Mag, in his first game of the year since suffering a season-ending injury last February, played 24 minutes.

Rutgers very much needed the win, following disappointingly lopsided losses against No. 24 Illinois and at Wake Forest. The Scarlet Knights raced out to a 12-5 lead early in the opening minutes of the game and took a 33-25 lead into halftime.

The big news from the night was the play of Omoruyi, who looked dominant and imposing on both ends of the court. This coupled with the return of Mag and Rutgers looked calmer and more composed on the court.

“When he plays like that, he is a problem. When we added some experience here another eight rebounds from Mawot and Cliff does a lot of great things,” head coach Steve Pikiell told reporters after the game.

“He had two straight days of great practices and really good leadership. I was proud of him. He is a problem when he plays like that and causes a lot of problems in the lanes when he blocks and alters a ton of shots.”

Scroll down and check out the best photos from Rutgers beating Seton Hall!

Rebounding hurt Rutgers basketball in loss to No. 24 Illinois

Rutgers basketball got physically dominated in a loss to Illinois.

It isn’t often that a Steve Pikiell-coached Rutgers basketball team loses the rebounding battle. And it isn’t often, as was the case on Saturday afternoon, that they doubled up by the opposition.

In a 76-58 home loss to No. 24 Illinois, there was a 55-27 disparity in rebounding. Most worrisome for Rutgers was that the Illini held a 19-9 advantage on the offensive glass, a stat that hasn’t traditionally been that way in the last four years under Pikiell.

Those second-opportunity points were tremendous for the Illini, as they staked themselves to an early lead on the road.

And while Rutgers held a 17:10 advantage in forced turnovers, it wasn’t enough to overcome Illinois’ clear edge on the boards.

“That’s the most turnovers they had so far this season but again, we just didn’t do what we needed to do on the backboards,” Pikiell told reporters after the game.

“We didn’t get our own offensive rebounds and we missed a lot and they manhandled us on the glass. You know I’m not happy with that, I know these guys I think this team is good we gotta figure that out obviously.

“When you’re playing a team that has size at every position, I knew that would be an issue for us but didn’t think it would be that kind of an issue. But tip of the hat, they had to go get them and they did and we had a few that came out of our hands and we had some offensive rebounds that just got taken from us and a lot of different things that happen when you don’t rebound effectively and they got us every which way on the backboards.”

Another troubling storyline to emerge from this game was the stat line from senior center Cliff Omoruyi. In Big Ten play, Rutgers needs Omoruyi to step up and be strong on both ends of the court.

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And while he did have nine rebounds and eight blocked shots, Omoruyi had just seven points in 3-of-10 shooting from the floor. It is the third time in seven games this season that Omoruyi hasn’t reached double-digit scoring.

“It always changes every year – when you are the top guy on the scouting report and they have a lot of time to prepare for you he is going to get that.,” Pikiell said

“He has to be better than the scouting report 0 we talk about that a lot.  Cliff has to understand that guys are keying in on him when we throw him the ball in the post.  We are getting better at not turning the ball over but the ones we have have been when we are trying to force it down to him.  It is a team collective effort.”

Rutgers is now 5-2 (0-1 Big Ten) on the season.

Watch: Cliff Omoruyi has two dunks in the opening 13 seconds as Rutgers beats Georgetown

Rutgers basketball got a big win over Georgetown on Wednesday night.

Cliff Omoruyi started the game in impressive fashion, with two dunks in the game’s opening 13 seconds. He set the tone for Rutgers as they beat Georgetown 71-60 in the Gavitt Games.

After losing their season opener to Princeton, Rutgers has now won three straight games. Georgetown drops to 1-2.

Omoruyi finished with eight points and six rebounds in 27 minutes played. He was 4-of-7 on shooting and had four blocks.

This was an important win for Rutgers, albeit against a rebuilding opponent. Georgetown, under head coach Ed Cooley, has pieced together some talented pieces and should be able to contend for the postseason this year. Getting a win against the Hoyas is a good resume builder for Rutgers as well as a confidence booster.

 

Sophomore guard Derek Simpson led Rutgers with 15 points. Freshman guard Jamichael Davis, who played 21 minutes, impressed with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting.

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They next play Howard on Saturday at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

What to make of Rutgers basketball’s season opening loss to Princeton?

Rutgers basketball dropped its season opener to Princeton 68-61 in an in-state matchup. Here are the five takeaways from RU’s season opener.

On Monday, Rutgers men’s basketball (0-1, 0-0) dropped their season opener to the Princeton Tigers (1-0, 0-0) 68-61 in an in-state matchup as part of the Jersey Jam in Trenton, New Jersey.

Princeton led most of the game, as there were only five lead changes in this New Jersey matchup. The Tigers’ ability to shoot behind the arc is the key to the Scarlet Knights’ loss in their season opener. Princeton shot 45 percent (9-for-20) from three-point range as the Scarlet Knights struggled behind the arc, shooting only 29 percent (4-for-14).

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Princeton senior guard Matt Allocco led the way for the Tigers, recording a team-high 21 points and nine rebounds. On the glass, forward Caden Pierce had a team-high 15 rebounds for the Tigers.

As for the Scarlet Knights, senior center Cliff Omoruyi led the way in scoring. The former First Team All-Big Ten Defensive center recorded a team-high 12 points along with seven rebounds and four blocks.

In his Rutgers debut, UMass transfer Noah Fernandes contributed ten points and three assists in 26 minutes. Also, second-year forward Antwone Woolfolk contributed double-digit points (10) in 19 minutes.

Below are the five takeaways from Rutgers’ season-opening loss to Princeton.