Tag: Steve Pikiell

Rutgers upsets No. 1: Five keys from Thursday’s historic win

The Rutgers men’s basketball team beat Purdue on a buzzer-beater Thursday night to earn their first win over a No. 1-ranked team.

Coming off of a bad loss a week ago against Illinois, Rutgers faced the challenge of facing the newly crowned No.1 Purdue Boilermakers. To make matters worse, they would once again be without one of their leaders, senior guard Geo Baker.

There were a few things in Rutgers’ favor, though. First, things can’t be as bad as that Illinois game … right? Second, the Scarlet Knights returned home to a raucous crowd at Jersey Mike’s Arena that was sold out for the 15th consecutive game. Lastly, despite never having beaten the top-ranked team in the country, Rutgers had Purdue’s number as of late. Coming into the contest, the Scarlet Knights had won three in a row against the Boilermakers.

Many fans wondered if unranked Rutgers could compete with Purdue. Well, the Scarlet Knights did more than just compete, they earned a hard-fought 70-68 victory.

Let’s take a look at five key takeaways from the thrilling upset in Piscataway.

What did we learn from Rutgers at Illinois?

Rutgers’ men’s basketball team hit the road on Friday night to kick off Big Ten play with a matchup against Illinois airing on ESPN 2. The Scarlet Knights dropped an ugly one, losing by 35 with a final score of 86-51.

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Rutgers’ men’s basketball team hit the road on Friday night to kick off Big Ten play with a matchup against Illinois airing on ESPN 2. The Scarlet Knights dropped an ugly one, losing by 35 with a final score of 86-51.

Rutgers now falls to a 4-4 record after starting the season has taken on Illinois 12 times in the programs history. The last meeting was this past March in the Big Ten Quarterfinals. The Fighting Illini also won by a big number, 90-68. Rutgers did defeat them during the regular season last year at home, 91-88.

The Fighting Illini have now gotten out to a 6-2 start. Despite winning two of three last week, Illinois dropped from No. 15 to just outside the top 25 in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll. Since the poll was last updated on November 29, Illinois has defeated Notre Dame at home before demolishing Rutgers in the same building, where they are now 5-1 on the year. Fans may remember that the Scarlet Knights were receiving votes for the top 25 earlier this season.

The Scarlet Knights Geo Baker was once again out of commission while dealing with a hamstring issue. Facing off with an Illinois team that is 26th in the country in defensive efficiency without one of their Senior leaders was always going to be an uphill battle.

Let’s take a look at the key observations from Friday night’s Big Ten opener.

Watch: Rutgers men’s basketball celebrates big win over Clemson

Rutgers men’s basketball celebrates a big win over Clemson.

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After three straight losses, Rutgers men’s basketball got a big one on Tuesday night with a 74-64 home win over Clemson. It was a strong win for the Scarlet Knights, the most impressive of the year given that Clemson made the NCAA Tournament last season.

(And, coincidentally, lost in the first round to…Rutgers).

Clemson is now 5-3 on the year following the loss. They were picked to finish eleventh in the ACC preseason poll conducted by the media.

So, given Rutgers slower than expected start, the Scarlet Knights had the right to bust out a little bit and enjoy the win. Especially with a tough slate of games coming up for the Big Ten program.

Head coach Steve Pikiell joined in on the victory celebration, perhaps even kickstarting it:

 

On Friday, Rutgers plays at a very good Illinois team before games next week against No. 2 Purdue at Jersey Mike’s Arena and then at No. 25 Seton Hall.

After back to back Rutgers hoops losses, Steve Pikiell says ‘I thought we’d be a lot better than this’

Steve Pikiell didn’t think his Rutgers basketball team would start off slow, but still likes the group.

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This is not the start that Rutgers men’s basketball had envisioned, a 53-51 loss on Tuesday night dropping the Scarlet Knights to 3-2 on the year.

In light of last season’s trip to the NCAA Tournament, there seemed to be some momentum this offseason about the direction of the program. Especially with a relatively light schedule to start, the back-to-back losses for Rutgers are shocking. Tuesday night showed a team that didn’t always have their motor on and that, for a fifth time this season, struggled to make shots.

Saying “we need to figure out a way to score my points,” head coach Steve Pikiell mixed realism with hope following the loss to Lafayette.

“I thought we’d be a lot better than this, obviously. We lost two one-possession games. I’d like to be 5-0, that’s where I thought we’d be right now but we’re not there,” Pikiell told reporters after the game.

“There is nothing you can do about the past, you can only work on what you need to do to get better in the future. We’ll devour film, we’ll keep working. We need to get some new guys into the rotation.”

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Rutgers, despite creating 20 turnovers, struggled in several other areas, including losing the rebound battle. The Scarlet Knights also shot poorly, making just 28.6 percent from the floor and 15.4 percent from behind the arc.

“I thought we just didn’t make shots today and that’s everyone. We have nights like and we’ll have a stretch where we make a lot of shots too,” Pikiell said.

“I’ll watch the tape again, I thought we had some good open looks and we’ll go from there. I don’t like the rebounding numbers; I thought we even we’re missing in the past we could crash the boards and get second shots. We did a little bit in the second half. We have to play better, [with] more energy. That’s on me, that’s on me as the coach. I’m fully aware of that.”

Pikiell didn’t sound set to panic, even after no one envisioned two losses from the season’s first five games.

“I stand by that I like this team a lot. I really do,” Pikiell said. “We got to figure it out, we got to get better.”

What we learned in Rutgers’ loss to DePaul

Back and forth is an understatement in this one. There were 16 lead changes and 11 ties for the national audience to enjoy. Let’s take a look at keys from the game.

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The Rutgers basketball squad represented the Big Ten in the finale of the Gavitt Games on Thursday Night against DePaul. Rutgers suffered their first loss of the season in this back and forth contest – 73-70 was the final.

After Xavier upset No. 19 Ohio State in the game prior, the Big East already took the Games with four victories, but the Scarlet Knights came up flat in their first loss of the year at the Blue Demons.

“They made some big shots down the stretch, and we made some big ones too,” Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said. “I liked the looks we got. They made some big plays.”

Rutgers had recently received votes in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll. We will have to wit to see how the loss impacted their standings.

Undisciplined play is ultimately what did Rutgers in – they turned the ball over 12 times. “It’s disappointing. we didn’t block out better and we fouled too much in a one-possession game” Pikiell said. “Give them credit, they worked hard and made it tough for us. They were very aggressive. They were averaging 99 points coming into the game. Give them a tip of the hat.”

Back-and-forth is an understatement in this one. There were 16 lead changes and 11 ties for the national audience to enjoy. Let’s take a look at keys from the game.

Rutgers finding value and versatility in LSU transfer Aundre Hyatt

Rutgers men’s basketball is seeing a big impact from LSU transfer Aundre Kyatt.

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In just three games so far this season, Aundre Hyatt is proving to be a valuable and emerging piece of the Rutgers men’s basketball team. The transfer from LSU has quickly settled in for the Scarlet Knights with his versatility and energy.

Rutgers has won their first three games of the out-of-conference schedule, albeit a bit sluggish and underwhelming at times. And Hyatt has been a major reason why Rutgers has been able to win three straight to start the year.

Even as he has yet to start for Rutgers yet this season, Hyatt is averaging 8 points per game, 4.7 rebounds and 2 blocks a game in 23.7 minutes played. All career-highs for the White Plains, N.Y. prep star.

“Aundre is really evolving too, he’s learning to play different spots too as we sub him in at a lot of different positions,” Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell told reporters after his team beat N.J.I.T. earlier this week.

“He’s a good worker, he can shoot the ball, he can get to the rim. Does a good job of rebounding, he can score around the baskets, he’s kind of unique, he’s kind of a three-level guy. And he plays with some poise, he blocks some shots, he can do some stuff.

“He’s got some emergency defense in him. I like the way he’s developed, he’s obviously going to be a nice piece for us.”

Last year, his second season at LSU, Hyatt averaged 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game as he averaged 16 minutes of action.

In the last NCAA Tournament, he helped key LSU’s opening round win over Stony Brook with 13 points and 10 rebounds in 32 minutes. In their second round loss to Michigan, he had two points in 24 minutes.

Rutgers beat N.J.I.T. 75-61 on Tuesday. They play at DePaul on Thursday night.

Coming out of high school, Hyatt was ranked a three-star and the No. 360 player in the nation according to 247 Sports.

Five things we learned as Rutgers outlasts Lehigh (a better than anticipated Lehigh at that)

Rutgers men’s basketball gutted out a tough Lehigh team in their season opener.

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Rutgers didn’t coast, far from it, beating Lehigh in overtime 73-70 in their season opener. A game that many had chalked up as being a “gimme” for the Scarlet Knights saw instead a real battle at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

After the game, head coach Steve Pikiell said “I knew this was going to be a real difficult game.” Most expected Rutgers to roll in this game but Lehigh was tough and balanced, making things difficult on Rutgers with their perimeter defense and outrebounding Rutgers 43:41.

Poor shooting plagued Rutgers, who were just 37.5 percent from the floor and just 1-of-13 from three-point range.

“A lot of obstacles we hit today and I thought getting through them was a good thing. I love the fact that we grinded, we grinded,” Pikiell told reporters after the game. “I kind of like those kind of wins.”

Nine Rutgers players scored in the game led by 16 points from sophomore big man Cliff Omoruyi. Three Rutgers played scored double-digit points in a game that was tied seven times and had eight lead changes.

Steve Pikiell on freshman star Jaden Jones: ‘Jaden is gonna be really good.

Rutgers men’s basketball appears to have a difference-maker in freshman Jaden Jones.

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Jaden Jones played sparingly for Rutgers football as a mid-season freshman enrollee last season, but he has plenty of promise and potential.

The four-star recruit brings some frontcourt help for Rutgers with head coach Steve Pikiell believing that his program is getting a player who is going to be able to contribute and help this season. The early enrollment was a net positive for Jones, who had the benefit last winter and spring of practicing and getting in the Rutgers system.

“Yeah, Jaden is gonna be really good, can really score, you know, but, you know like freshmen he’s playing against veterans every day, but he has days where he’s, you know, he’s really good,” Pikiell told reporters last week.

“I mean he can pass the ball, he’s got great size, I mean his stand-still… can shoot the balls, his threes he’s as good as, as good as anybody. But you know there’s always that learning curve. I mean you don’t go from high school to play in Purdue and not have a learning curve with that but he’s getting better and better and the weight gain has helped them to become more durable.”

The benefit for Jones enrolling early was not as much about playing time but practice time as well as getting in the weight room.

In 11 minutes played last year across four games, Jones scored three points, had three assists, and one rebound. All four games came in Big Ten play, two against ranked opponents (Iowa, Illinois).

Steve Pikiell likes Rutgers basketball’s continuity on the court…and on the bench

Rutgers basketball has continuity and cohesion among their coaching staff.

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Not only is Rutgers basketball returning its core on the court, with four of five projected starters from last year’s NCAA Tournament team coming back, but head coach Steve Pikiell also has continuity with his staff.

Three big pieces, assistant coaches Karl Hobbs, Brandin Knight, and T.J. Thompson are returning for another season with the Scarlet Knights. For a program that made the NCAA Tournament last year for the first time in three decades, the continuation on and off the court through the program is a big reason why Rutgers is expected to go dancing once again this season.

This is big for Rutgers in terms of a philosophical standpoint but also for relationships within the locker room and recruiting.

“There’s always expectations ‘On the bank.’ It’s a great thing. I think our team embraces it,” Piekiell said during Big Ten Media Day last week.

“I think, again, I’ve got a good blend of veteran guys. I have a terrific staff, too. Brought back Karl Hobbs, part of two national championships, Brandin Knight, we’ve been through this. T.J. Thompson. The staff that I’ve been able to keep have done a great job preparing our guys for the expectations that are ahead of us.

Last year’s team went 16-11 and won their first-round game in the NCAA Tournament, beating Clemson. Then Rutgers lost narrowly to Houston, a Final Four Team

“But I like the fact that we got some guys that have been through it a little bit, we got some experience now in the NCAA tournament,” Piekiell said. “We’re just doing some great things. If we pack the RAC, I like those expectations.”

The Scarlet Knights were picked to finish eighth in the Big Ten in the recently conducted preseason poll.

Four-star power forward Gus Yalden: ‘I really truly enjoyed my official visit at Rutgers’

Rutgers basketball recruit Gus Yalden, one of the top players in the nation, talks about his visit to the Scarlet Knights this weekend.

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Gus Yalden had an official visit to Rutgers on Saturday, the four-star big man taking in a football game and getting some time with men’s basketball head coach Steve Pikiell.

The power forward, ranked by Rivals as the No. 73 player in the nation, got a full tour of campus and the basketball facilities. This included being able to watch the team practice.

“The morning practice was great to watch; it was competitive and had lots of teachable moments,” Yalden told ‘Rutgers Wire’ after his visit.

“Crazy that this early in the season players already dialed in and efficient.”

Personable and outgoing, the class of 2023 prospect is enjoying the recruiting process.

One of the most coveted prospects in the nation, Yalden has a host of schools after him including offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Iowa, Louisville, Maryland, Stanford, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Xavier among others.

The trip was an opportunity to see the campus, connect with the coaching staff and players and see if the Scarlet Knights were a good fit for him.

He had an opportunity to talk with Pikiell one-on-one during the visit. The message came across loud and clear.

“Pretty simple he just said he wanted to coach me and felt like it would be great for me on and off the court. Coach Pikiell has had an impressive basketball journey…his players and the Rutgers community seem to really embrace him,” Yalden said.

“Not going to lie I’m a little surprised how much I really truly enjoyed my official visit at Rutgers… just can’t imagine making this decision without being able to get on campus.”

Yalden said he hopes to continue his official visits with Nebraska and Wisconsin next on his agenda. He also hopes to take some other programs in on unofficial visits.

After his visit, Yalden wants to come up for one more visit to check a gameday experience at Rutgers.