Tag: Steve Pikiell

Rutgers basketball head coach Steve Pikiell on NCAA Tournament snub: ‘It felt like we certainly did enough’

Rutgers basketball head coach Steve Pikiell talks about losing out on an NCAA Tournament bid.

That Rutgers basketball was left out of the NCAA Tournament isn’t necessarily a shock given that the Big Ten program has been a bubble team for much of the last month. That they were overlooked for some of the other teams that did get at-large bids is what is truly puzzling.

Rutgers, despite having a better NET Ranking and a strong enough Quad 1 record, was shut out of the tournament in favor of teams like North Carolina State and Providence. Both programs were beneath Rutgers in the important NET Rankings.

The Scarlet Knights finished the regular season 18-13 (10-10 Big Ten). They won in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament over bubble team Michigan and lost by five points to Big Ten Tournament champion Purdue.

Saying “I thought we had a resume that stacked up with a lot of teams,” Rutgers basketball head coach Steve Pikiell sounded clear disappointment with the fallout from ‘Selection Sunday.’ Pikiell’s comments were made prior to Rutgers accepting a bid to the NIT.

“A tough day, our goal every year is to go every year to the NCAA Tournament. It felt like we certainly did enough. It’s a tough job, the selection committee has,” Pikiell told reporters on Sunday night.

The omission of Rutgers shocked the college basketball world, including ESPN analyst Dick Vitale who doesn’t understand the decision.

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On CBS following the ‘Selection Sunday’ show on CBS, Chris Reynolds said the season-ending injury to starter Mawot Mag played a role in the decision to leave Rutgers out. Following Mag’s injury, Rutgers lost six of their next eight games.

Reynolds is the chair of the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

“They just felt like I guess we weren’t good enough – our resume wasn’t good enough,” Pikiell said.

“Obviously, that changed our team a little bit. I do think we did a lot this year, they’re supposed to take into consideration our entire schedule, our entire body of work.”

“They have a tough job, I don’t envy them at all. They felt like I guess like we didn’t do enough when I kind of felt like we were right there with everyone else in the field.”

Pikiell said his team was “disappointed – every bracket had them in.”

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Five things to know about Michigan and Rutgers ahead of their Big Ten Tournament matchup

Here are the five things to know about Michigan basketball as Rutgers prepares to face the Wolverines in the Big Ten Conference Tournament.

Rutgers men’s basketball has a crucial game on Thursday night against Michigan in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. With a win, Rutgers is likely to book a ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

No. 8 Rutgers (18-13, 10-10 Big Ten) will face No. 9 Michigan (17-14, 11-9 Big Ten) in what might be the most intriguing match-up of the second round.

In late February, Michigan beat Rutgers 58-45 at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

Historically, the No. 8 seed Wolverines have owned the Scarlet Knights, beating Rutgers 16 out of 17 times. Rutgers’ first victory over the Wolverines came last year when the RU defeated Michigan 75-67 at Jersey Mike’s Arena. With a Rutgers victory, the Scarlet Knights would advance to take on the No. 1 Purdue on Friday in the next round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Here are the five things to know ahead of No. 9 Rutgers against No. 8 Michigan:

 

Steve Pikiell ranked by USA TODAY as one of the five most underpaid coaches in college basketball

Rutgers basketball head coach Steve Pikiell is one of the most underpaid coaches in college basketball.

Despite some rough spots this season, Rutgers basketball is headed in the right direction under head coach Steve Pikiell. And Rutgers basketball, at least according to a recent list from USA TODAY, has gotten quite a good deal in terms of Pikiell.

In his list of the “Five most underpaid men’s college basketball coaches,” USA TODAY’s Paul Myberg lists Pikiell as a great deal for Rutgers.

Myberg notes that Pikiell is the eleventh-highest-paid coach in the Big Ten which, for the success he has had, is not a very high number.

“The former Stony Brook coach opened with three losing finishes in a row but has posted a winning record in each of the past four seasons, a program first since 1989-92. The Scarlet Knights’ best run in decades will earn Pikiell $3 million in compensation during the 2022-23 season…”

The story noted that Pikiell’s buyout is also the second-highest in college basketball among those surveyed.

Rutgers has lost three of their last four games but still finished the season a strong 18-13 (10-10 Big Ten). It is a fourth-straight winning season for the Scarlet Knights.

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Should Rutgers make the NCAA Tournament, it would be a third-straight season for the Scarlet Knights to make the ‘March Madness.’ The three-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances would be a first for the men’s basketball program.

Pikiell is joined on this list from USA TODAY by fellow Big Ten head coach Matt Painter.

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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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Geo Baker, Taralyn Naslonski awarded Big Ten Medal of Honor

Rutgers men’s basketball player Geo baker receives the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor for his excellence on and off the court

Geo Baker of the men’s basketball team was one of two Rutgers student-athletes who were named recipients of the esteemed Big Ten Medal of Honor.

The Big Ten Medal of Honor is awarded annually to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each conference school who have been strong examples both on and off the field throughout their collegiate careers. Started in 1914, the conference’s most exclusive award was the first of its kind in college athletics to recognize academic and athletic excellence. The other Scarlet Knight to receive the award was grad student Taralyn Naslonski of the women’s lacrosse squad.

Big Ten schools currently feature roughly 10,000 student-athletes across all sports, but only 28 earn this prestigious award on an annual basis. In more than 100 years of the Big Ten Medal of Honor being awarded, more than 1,500 student-athletes have earned the distinction.

Men’s basketball head coach Steve Pikiell spoke about Baker receiving this distinguished honor in a press release:

“I am so proud of Geo baker for being the Rutgers recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor. He is the first men’s basketball player at Rutgers to win the award and my first player to receive this honor. Geo has been an exemplary ambassador for our program on and off the court and it couldn’t have been given to a better person. I am truly grateful to have coached Geo for the past five seasons at Rutgers and he has a bright future in whatever he decides to pursue in his career after college basketball. Geo will forever be a part of the Rutgers basketball family.”

Baker averaged 12.0 points on 39.1 percent shooting and 3.9 assists last season as the men’s basketball team collected the most wins since joining the Big Ten. He finished his career No. 2 all-time in program history in assists with 496, No.5 in three-pointers made with 237, No. 4 in steals with 180, No. 8 in points 1,654, and No. 8 in total field goals made 599. Baker was the first and only men’s basketball Scarlet Knight to earn two Big Ten Player of the Week awards and earned three all-conference selections during his time at the university.

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Rutgers’ Aundre Hyatt plays well in Greece for USA Basketball

Rutgers basketball forward Aundre Hyatt played well in Greece this past weekend, playing for USA Basketball’s East Coast team.

Rutgers men’s basketball’s junior forward Aundre Hyatt joined USA Basketball’s East Coast team on their trip to compete in Athens, Greece this past weekend. He helped his squad go a perfect 3-0 against some of Athens’ best professional teams. Slam Magazine writer Matthew Caputo called the experience in Athens, “…college basketball’s version of study abroad…”

Hyatt impressed early, finishing the opening contest as the leading scorer with 14 points. He added four rebounds, three assists, and a block in 20 minutes. Unfortunately, he tweaked his ankle during game 2. The former LSU Tiger averaged 12.5 points during the trip.

Prior to the trip, Hyatt expressed his excitement through a Rutgers press release:

“I am super excited to compete and participate in this experience with the USA Basketball’s East Coast Team. It’s an honor to be selected alongside some of the best collegiate East Coast players in the country. I have been working on my game this offseason with my coaches and staff and look to use this experience to continue to improve heading the upcoming season for Rutgers men’s basketball.”

The junior Hyatt was one of the key pieces for head coach Steve Pikiell off the bench in 2021-22. The Bronx, N.Y. native who transferred to Rutgers in 2020, averaged 4.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and shot 35.8 percent from the field in 12.8 minutes-per-game last season. Hyatt reached. Hyatt is taking every opportunity to improve as he looks to step into a bigger role in 2021-22 with the departures of Scarlet Knight legends Ron Harper Jr. and Geo Baker.

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Former Rutgers recruiting target C.J. Roberts enters transfer portal

Former Rutgers recruiting target C.J. Roberts has entered the transfer portal. Here’s why Rutgers should target him again.

The NCAA basketball transfer portal continues to bustle. One of the top 35  point guards overall and top 15 in Texas from the class of 2017 is a free agent. C.J. Roberts from North Richland Hills, TX officially entered the transfer portal last week.

Roberts was a key contributor to the Aggies’ run to the WAC Tournament Championship game as a junior, averaging 6.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in 2020-21. Roberts scored in double figures six times for New Mexico State University.

A three-star shooting guard in the 247Sports Composite, this is the second time Roberts has entered the portal. Out of high school, he originally committed to and signed a letter of intent to play for the Missouri Tigers in November of 2016. He spent time at two different junior colleges, receiving Second-Team All-NTJCAC honors before enrolling at New Mexico State in June of 2020.

After playing in 20 games as a junior, Roberts transferred to Lamar. He never appeared in a game for the Cardinals prior to re-entering the portal.

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Roberts was rated as a four-star recruit by both ESPN and Rivals coming out of high school. As a prep, he collected three All-District awards. He averaged 22.5 points per game during his junior season and 25 points per game during his senior season.

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Head coach Steve Pikiell has gotten the best out of players during his entire tenure at Rutgers and he currently has the need to find ways to fill the scoring holes left from last season’s departing players. Add in his affinity for strong leadership, and Roberts and Rutgers could make a strong union.

Rutgers basketball’s Cliff Omoruyi hosting on-campus shoe drive

Rutgers center Cliff Omoruyi is running a shoe drive on campus. All donations will be sent to his hometown in Nigeria

Clifford Omoruyi is one of the stars of the Rutgers men’s basketball program. After leading the entire country in rim-rattling dunks, he is poised to be a leader for coach Steve Pikiell’s program this season on the court, but he’s making a bigger impact off the court to start the off-season.

 

Omoruyi has set up a shoe drive on Rutgers’ campus that goes the rest of this week. Daily, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., you can bring lightly worn shoes to campus and drop them off at the RWJBH Athletic Performance Center lobby, located next to Jersey Mike’s Arena. Shoes will be donated to Omoruyi’s hometown of Benin City, Nigeria.

The early donations to the shoe drive have been strong. Omoruyi and Rutgers will be also be accepting donations at SHI Stadium before and during the Rutgers Football Spring Game on April 22. Omoruyi was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten this past season, as well as Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree. His charitable endeavor shows that he is just as strong-willed off the court as he is on.

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Former Rutgers recruiting target Akok Akok enters transfer portal

Former Rutgers recruiting target and UConn Husky Akok Akok. has entered the transfer portal. Here’s why Rutgers should take another look at him

One of the top 100 recruits overall and the No. 2 recruit in Connecticut from the class of 2018 is a free agent as Akok Akok officially entered the transfer portal last week.

Standing at six-foot-ten with great mobility coming out of high school, it is no surprise that many programs were interested in Akok’s services. He saw offers from Rutgers, Louisville, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Georgetown, and Pittsburgh. UConn head coach Kevin Ollie and Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim both paid Akok a visit prior to him making his final decision.

The Putnam, CT native entered the portal one day after former UConn teammate Corey Floyd Jr. did the same.

A four-star power forward in the 247Sports Composite, Akok was a major player for the Huskies in his freshman season but has had to fight for time since after tearing his Achilles just seven games into his sophomore season.

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He committed to UConn in December of 2018. Akok averaged 5.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 2.2 blocks in what was his true freshman season prior to the injury.

 

The middle is strong for Rutgers, anchored by Cliff Omoruyi. That being said, head coach Steve Pikiell has done so much to get the best out of players and Omoruyi’s strength and transformation is in part a testament to the training staff at Rutgers.

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If Akok wants to rediscover that spark he showed as a freshman without the pressure to lead the way down low, Rutgers might be the best destination for him.

WATCH: What Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said about Ohio State postgame

Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell talks about Ohio State after the game Wednesday night.

Ohio State and Rutgers staged an entertaining basketball game on Wednesday night, and unfortunately, the Buckeyes weren’t able to hold a late lead and lost a game I’m sure they thought they should have won. Such is life in the Big Ten where a play here or there, or a sketchy few minutes at the wrong time turns victory into defeat.

Give the Scarlet Knights credit because they played scrambling defense and made life really difficult on Ohio State late to pull out a big win for their postseason hopes.

Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell met with the media after the game and was obviously proud of his team but also conveyed a ton of respect for Chris Holtmann and Ohio State.

Watch and listen to what Pikiell said after the game thanks to the Rutgers Athletic YouTube channel. Hear Pikiell talk about the respect he has for the OSU program, how many talented players the Buckeyes have, his team’s effort in a great environment, and more.

Ohio State next hits the road to play at Michigan on Saturday. It’s a huge game the Buckeyes have to find a way to win to keep hopes alive for a shot at a Big Ten regular-season title.

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