Tag: Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Instant reactions to Alabama’s Players Era Festival victory over Rutgers

Alabama faced off against Rutgers on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

After an impressive victory over the Houston Cougars on Tuesday night, the Alabama Crimson Tide were back in action Wednesday at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, facing off against yet another tough opponent in the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Alabama would continue their success from the night prior as well, going on to defeat the Scarlet Knights by a final score of 95-90 in a game that was close for a majority.

Here are some instant reactions to Alabama’s 95-90 victory over the Scarlet Knights:

Alabama struggles at free throw line

Despite the win, this was not a strong showing Wednesday night from the Crimson Tide at the free throw line. In all, Alabama struggled by making only 25-of-36 attempts, which translates to a combined 69.4%.

Alabama struggles with turnovers

Alabama also struggled mightily Wednesday night when it came to committing turnovers. The Crimson Tide had a total of 20, which Rutgers turned into 23 points.

Mark Sears scores 20+ points again

Despite playing part of the second half with four fouls, guard Mark Sears was once again a big reason as to why Alabama won Wednesday, scoring 20+ points for the second consecutive game. Sears finished with a team-high 24 points, as well as five assists.

Two Alabama players flirt with double-doubles

A pair of Alabama players flirted with a double-double against Rutgers, one of which was forward Mouhamed Dioubate, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds after posting a double-double Tuesday against Houston. Grant Nelson also flirted with a double-double, posting 17 points and nine rebounds.

Alabama Crimson Tide now 6-1 overall, advances to championship game

After their victory over the Scarlet Knights on Wednesday night, Alabama is now 6-1 overall for the 2024-25 season. The Crimson Tide’s next game will come Saturday against the Oregon Ducks on Saturday night in the Players Era Festival championship game.

Dylan Harper is the most exciting offensive prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft

Dylan Harper looks like a future STAR.

Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper may not go as the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but he has the most potential of any player on offense.

Harper is currently playing in the Players Era Festival tournament in Las Vegas. During a win against Notre Dame on November 26, he scored 36 points. That was the most by any freshman so far this season and it was a breakout performance for the future pro.

Long considered the top lead guard in this draft class, Harper was named Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year. He was honored as the MVP of the 2024 McDonald’s All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic.

The son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper Sr., the 6-foot-6 freshman is playing very well during his first collegiate campaign.

Harper has struggled to finish in transition but has played with excellent efficiency in a set offense. He looks difficult to stop in pick and roll and isolation and can create his own shot with ease, including this vicious dunk that got his father hyped:

He is averaging 4.2 unassisted field goals per game at the rim, per CBB Analytics. Most impressive: No player in Division I men’s college basketball is recording more unassisted field goals made (6.2) per game.

Next up is Kam Jones, a senior from Marquette projected as a potential first-rounder in our latest NBA mock draft, at 5.5 unassisted field goals per game.

The freshman is unafraid to finish at the rim, which is encouraging from a young guard, and it is working. He is shooting an unprecedented 37-of-47 (78.7 percent) near the rim, and while that is hardly sustainable, it is also a huge part of what makes him so appealing.

He is also doing a fantastic job drawing contact at the basket, via CBB Analytics, drawing 2.7 shooting fouls (the most among freshmen) and converting 0.7 and-one attempts per game. Harper attempted 14 free throws versus Notre Dame, which is excellent.

Harper has displayed fantastic court vision and ball control and he has also maintained a very high assist percentage and a low turnover ratio, which are both encouraging traits as a floor general.

Overall, per Bart Torvik, his points over replacement per game is among the highest on record from a freshman in a high-major conference since 2008.

Even if Duke prospect Cooper Flagg hears his name called first in this class, defense is his primary trait that excites evaluators. But for Harper, any NBA team that is looking to improve their offense will rush to the podium if he is available when they are on the clock.

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Alabama 2024-25 Opponent Preview: Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers is led by two of the nation’s top freshmen.

After beginning play at the Players Era Festival out in Las Vegas, Nevada on Tuesday night against the Houston Cougars, the caliber of opponent does not get much easier Wednesday for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

As to why, that is because the Crimson Tide are set to face a talented team in the Rutgers Scarlet Knights that are led by two of the nation’s top freshmen. The Scarlet Knights are also one of the top teams in the Big Ten this season, and could certainly provide some challenges for Alabama in this game.

So, ahead of Wednesday night’s matchup in Las Vegas, here is everything you need about the 2024-25 Rutgers Scarlet Knights:

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Team Overview

  • Team Name: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
  • Conference: Big Ten
  • Arena: Jersey Mike’s Arena, Piscataway, New Jersey
  • Record: 4-1 overall
  • Ranking: Unranked in AP Poll, Unranked in Coaches Poll

As mentioned previously, Rutgers is a Big Ten program that sits at 4-1 on the season. Rutgers also previously fell out of the AP Poll in the latest update, and are coming off their first loss of the 2024-25 season, a 79-77 road defeat at Kennesaw State.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Coaching Staff

  • Head Coach: Steve Pikiell
  • Associate Head Coach: Brandin Knight
  • Assistant Coach: T.J. Thompson
  • Assistant Coach: Marlon Williamson
  • Assistant Coach: Jay Young
  • Assistant Coach: Steve Hayn

The Scarlet Knights are led by head coach Steve Pickiell, who is currently in his ninth season at Rutgers. Pickiell has also led Rutgers to two NCAA Tournament appearances over that span, last coming in 2021-22.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights 2024-25 Stats

  • PPG: 79.8 (No. 128 in NCAA)
  • PPG Allowed: 68 (No. 123 in NCAA)
  • FG%: 47.4
  • 3P%: 35.6
  • FT%: 71.8
  • RPG: 37.4
  • APG: 16.4
  • SPG: 8
  • BPG: 4.2

Rutgers is currently averaging 79.8 PPG so far this season, while also allowing 68 PPG to opponents. The Scarlet Knight’s highest stat ranking on a  national level is also their team free throws made per game, which sits No. 53 nationally at 17.8.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Names to Know

  • Dylan Harper, Guard – Freshman
  • Ace Bailey, Guard/Forward – Freshman
  • Lathan Sommerville, Center – Freshman
  • Zach Martini, Forward/Center – Graduate Student
  • PJ Hayes IV, Guard/Forward – Fifth-Year Senior

As mentioned at the start, Rutgers is led by two of the nation’s top freshmen in the duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, both of which were considered top five overall prospects in the 2024 recruiting class. The duo is averaging 19 PPG and five RPG each so far this season.

USC throttles Rutgers in game that ends nearly 3 a.m. ET

USC walloped Rutgers in the Big Ten’s version of the late, late, late show

The idea was sound. It seemed perfect when the World Series turned out to be New York Yankees-Los Angeles Dodgers.

FOX Sports was going to use the baseball game as its lead into the Rutgers-USC Big Ten contest at the LA Coliseum.

Baseball didn’t cooperate when the World Series went extra innings. So, the college football game started on FS1.

If you didn’t stay up late in the Eastern or Central time zones, here is what you need to know. The Trojans clobbered the Scarlet Knights, 42-20. The game didn’t have the drama of the Dodgers’ win over the Yankees on Freddie Freeman’s grand slam in the 10th inning.

Rutgers started the season 4-0 and is now 4-4, which is the same record USC sports.

Miller Moss threw for 308 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Woody Marks rushed for 94 yards and three scores for the Trojans.

LA Coliseum practically empty for Rutgers-USC

The LA Coliseum attracted a tiny crowd for Rutgers-USC

Warnings were issued in Los Angeles on Friday about a traffic nightmare. One that was going to be far greater than usual.

There was a World Series game at Dodger Stadium, a high school football classic at SoFi Stadium, a Laker game at Crypto.com Arena, and numerous concerts.

Oh, and there was that storied Big Ten matchup between Rutgers and USC at the LA Coliseum. Kickoff was set for 8 p.m.

Apparently people interested in the Scarlet Knights and Trojans decided to heed advice and watch the game from home. You could have had your choice of seats.

Updated Big Ten football standings after Week 8: Indiana and Oregon in first-place tie

Could we get an Oregon vs. Indiana Big Ten championship game? Updated Big Ten football standings after Week 8.

While Penn State was off this past week, the Nittany Lions remained one of three undefeated teams in Big Ten play this fall. But Penn State is now, technically, looking up in the updated Big Ten conference standings following the results of Week 8. Indiana and Oregon remained undefeated this season and improved to 4-0 in Big Ten play with blowout wins this weekend. Penn State will not face either team in the regular season, so watching what they do is critical if Penn State can continue to take care of its own schedule the rest of the way. Penn State is gearing up for a challenging three-game stretch beginning with this week’s road trip to Wisconsin.

Wisconsin is seemingly surging at a good time too with another dominant performance on the scoreboard against its opponent. Wisconsin has outscored its last three opponents by a combined score of 117-16 (Rutgers, Northwestern, and Purdue). Of course, the Badgers will also be facing their biggest challenge since playing Alabama and USC in back-to-back weeks in September.

Here is a look at the updated Big Ten football standings at the conclusion of Week 8.

B1G W B1G L W L
Indiana 4 0 7 0
Oregon 4 0 7 0
Penn State 3 0 6 0
Illinois 3 1 6 1
Wisconsin 3 1 5 2
Ohio State 2 1 5 1
Iowa 2 2 4 3
Washington 2 2 4 3
Michigan 2 2 4 3
Michigan State 2 2 4 3
Nebraska 2 2 5 2
Minnesota 2 2 4 3
Northwestern 1 3 3 4
Maryland 1 3 4 3
Rutgers 1 3 4 3
USC 1 4 3 4
UCLA 1 4 2 5
Purdue 0 4 1 6

Indiana, Oregon, Penn State, and Illinois are all officially bowl-eligible. No team in the Big Ten is ineligible for postseason play, but Purdue is now sitting on six losses this season, putting them on the brink of being the first Big Ten to be ruled ineligible for a bowl game this season.

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Rutgers center has family ties to UCLA

Gus Zilinskas has some interesting ties.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are facing off against the UCLA Bruins in a Big Ten Conference showdown in New Jersey on Week 8.

While Rutgers is favored, especially with UCLA sliding quickly, there is an interesting storyline in this game. Rutgers center Gus Zilinskas has some family ties involving the Bruins.

His father, John Zilinskas, was once a starter for the Bruins football program. Zilinskas was on the team from 1987 until 1991 and was part of the roster with Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman.

Gus spoke about the ties and mentioned his father will be at the game, per Bobby Deren of Scarlet Nation.

“He is going to be at the game and it is going to be fun to experience that,” Zilinskas told Scarlet Nation on Tuesday. “Growing up, I watched a lot of UCLA because he played there. It’s pretty cool.”

The Zilinskas family makes trips regularly to see him play, but this time it means more given it’s his father’s alma mater.

“It’s week by week but when I saw they were on the schedule,” I was excited,” Zilinskas said. “It’s going to be good to play my father’s alma mater.”

It will be an interesting battle for the Zilinskas family on Saturday.

Pair of UCLA writers pick Rutgers to win in Week 8

Rutgers picked to win twice here.

The UCLA Bruins have a tough road ahead of them and are eagerly searching for the first Big Ten Conference win of the year.

In Week 8, they face Rutgers on the road in another early kickoff time.

UCLA is coming off a 21-17 loss against Minnesota in a close game, albeit a disappointing one given the way things have gone this season.

Ahead of the Rutgers showdown, Nicholas Hart of The Daily Targum sat down with Daily Bruin writers Matthew Niiya and Ira Gorawara. The two Daily Bruin writers gave their predictions for the UCLA-Rutgers game, and both picked the Scarlet Knights to get the win.

“I’m going to say 17-10 Rutgers,” Niiya said.

“I’m going to go also Rutgers wins, but I’m going to go 23-20,” Gorawara predicted.

Both UCLA writers have the Bruins playing a close game, which is encouraging to see, although neither one has them winning.

It will be a tough test for UCLA once again, and the Week 9 bye will be a good chance for them to reset a little bit.

Rutgers had Grimace dance to OMG in the end zone because it’s all about the Mets, baby!

Purple has never looked so good in a sea of red.

Let there be no question which baseball team the Rutgers Scarlet Knights are supporting this October: It’s about the Mets, baby! Love the Mets.

Or maybe it’s mostly about the vibes. You see, much like the Mets this season, Rutgers entered the year with middling expectations and has all the non-believers changing their tune in October.

The Mets are in the National League Championship Series for the first time 2015. Rutgers is 4-1 for the first time since 2014. Things are really happening for New York/New Jersey fans at the moment and it was only fair to mash them all together.

Which is how you end up with Rutgers inviting Grimace to dance in the end zone to Jose Iglesias’ single “OMG” during a Week 7 game against Wisconsin.

Years from now, this video might make absolutely zero sense. In the present day, it couldn’t capture the moment any better if it tried.

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Expert score prediction: Nebraska vs. Rutgers

What’s your prediction?

The Nebraska Cornhuskers return home following a 28-10 bounce-back win over the Purdue Boilermakers. However, the win wasn’t pretty. Penalties and missed field goals riddled the first half before the Huskers cleaned up in the second. Now, they’re facing a team that thrives on opponent’s mistakes.

Rutgers is 4-0 on the season, but several key moments in their last two wins went in their favor. In the Scarlet Knights’ win over Virginia Tech, the Hokies struggled in the first, which saw a punt return fumble that became a Rutgers touchdown.

Virginia Tech also failed a fourth-down conversion and coughed up a safety, giving Rutgers a 16-7 lead. The Scarlet Knights scored a touchdown out of halftime and almost did it again after the Hokies fumbled on the next drive. Rutgers failed on fourth and goal.

The Scarlet Knights managed to get a go-ahead field goal after Virginia Tech tied the game 23-23. But were it not for some of the Hokies’ mistakes, Rutgers would not have snatched the win.

The same occurred in last week’s bout against Washington. The Huskies only punted twice on their 11 drives but missed three field goals and failed two fourth-down conversions.

The play of the game, however, occurred when Washington allowed a blocked field goal to turn into a Rutgers touchdown due to a 12th player coming onto the field in celebration following the block. Washington also coughed up penalties that halted drives, resulting in points scored. 

These scenarios are too similar to Nebraska’s win over Purdue, which the Huskers cannot allow to happen again. Nebraska continues to control its own fate each game, and the same applies here.

The offense needs to be clean and stop letting penalties halt drives. The defense can’t let Rutgers’ Athan Kaliakmanis go off in his third game against the Huskers. The same can be said about Rutgers’ Kyle Monangai, who averages 6.1 rushing yards off 97 total carries. Finally, Nebraska needs to capitalize on field goal opportunities, not allowing any blocks or misses.

If the Huskers can carry their second-half play against Purdue into this game, they’ll be fine.

Score Prediction: Nebraska 24, Rutgers 14

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