1. Best win of the year, hands down. Pike deserves a TON of credit for the game plan and execution. Minnesota plays a tough zone defense, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Rutgers team in recent memory play so well in zone offense. The ball was moving crisply, first around the perimeter and then looking to the foul line, and then either sprayed back out to open shooters, or the guy at the foul line turned and shot or went down hill. We had 22 assists on 25 made FGs, which is incredible.
2. The defense really stepped up tonight. Minnesota runs terrific sets, a lot like the old Princeton offense, and they murdered us on backdoor cuts in the first half, but we tightened up in the second half, didn’t give up any backdoor cuts, and forced 10 turnovers including on 6 straight possessions to propel an 11-0 run and give us the lead that we would never relinquish. We forced 15 TOs overall.
3. Game ball obviously goes to Tariq Francis, who scored 29 points — a Rutgers record in the Big Ten Tournament — and got us buckets at every stage when we needed points. He was 9-16 from the field, including 5-7 from deep, 6-7 from the line, and added 4 assists. He also played stellar defense, including forcing that charge in the midst of that crucial 11-0 run.
4. But we also got huge contributions from several other guys. Manny Ogbole was huge on the inside tonight, providing post offense, grabbing timely rebounds, and protecting the rim. He finished with 10 points (on 5-6 FGs), 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. He would not let Minnesota get easy buckets on the inside.
5. Darren Buchanan had a rough first half after getting in foul trouble, but he was stellar in the 2nd half, and he ended up with 6 points (all in the second frame), 5 rebounds, a whopping 7 assists, and 0 TOs, all while playing great defense with 3 fouls. He did not pick up another foul in 17 second half minutes.
6. Jamichael Davis — let’s call him JMake tonight — played a terrific game. Lino Mark had an off night, as he struggled against the zone, but JMake stepped up and knocked down gigantic threes, steadied the offense, and was the floor leader. He also sunk four straight FTs to help seal the victory down the stretch, finishing with 13 points (3-7 FGs, 3-6 threes, 4-4 FTs), 6 assists, and 0 TOs.
7. Harun Zrno chipped in with 6 points on 2 threes, but he also played solid defense, nabbing 2 steals and preventing those backdoor cuts in the 2nd half.
8. Another point about Pike. On this night, the rotations were sound. I know people didn’t like the Badalau minutes in the first half, but Dortch is hobbled, Nwuli was out due to a foot/ankle issue, and Buchanan got his second foul with 11 minutes left in the first half, so Pike really had no choice there. In the 2nd half, Pike rode with Ogbole, Buchanan, Zrno, JMake, and Francis for at least the last 8 or 10 minutes of the game. They’re the group that caused the 6 straight TOs and the 11-0 run, but after Minnesota scored, Pike called a good timeout, settled the guys down, and then stuck with the same lineup.
9. On to face a surging UCLA team. This will be a very tough game. Let’s shock the world.
2. The defense really stepped up tonight. Minnesota runs terrific sets, a lot like the old Princeton offense, and they murdered us on backdoor cuts in the first half, but we tightened up in the second half, didn’t give up any backdoor cuts, and forced 10 turnovers including on 6 straight possessions to propel an 11-0 run and give us the lead that we would never relinquish. We forced 15 TOs overall.
3. Game ball obviously goes to Tariq Francis, who scored 29 points — a Rutgers record in the Big Ten Tournament — and got us buckets at every stage when we needed points. He was 9-16 from the field, including 5-7 from deep, 6-7 from the line, and added 4 assists. He also played stellar defense, including forcing that charge in the midst of that crucial 11-0 run.
4. But we also got huge contributions from several other guys. Manny Ogbole was huge on the inside tonight, providing post offense, grabbing timely rebounds, and protecting the rim. He finished with 10 points (on 5-6 FGs), 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. He would not let Minnesota get easy buckets on the inside.
5. Darren Buchanan had a rough first half after getting in foul trouble, but he was stellar in the 2nd half, and he ended up with 6 points (all in the second frame), 5 rebounds, a whopping 7 assists, and 0 TOs, all while playing great defense with 3 fouls. He did not pick up another foul in 17 second half minutes.
6. Jamichael Davis — let’s call him JMake tonight — played a terrific game. Lino Mark had an off night, as he struggled against the zone, but JMake stepped up and knocked down gigantic threes, steadied the offense, and was the floor leader. He also sunk four straight FTs to help seal the victory down the stretch, finishing with 13 points (3-7 FGs, 3-6 threes, 4-4 FTs), 6 assists, and 0 TOs.
7. Harun Zrno chipped in with 6 points on 2 threes, but he also played solid defense, nabbing 2 steals and preventing those backdoor cuts in the 2nd half.
8. Another point about Pike. On this night, the rotations were sound. I know people didn’t like the Badalau minutes in the first half, but Dortch is hobbled, Nwuli was out due to a foot/ankle issue, and Buchanan got his second foul with 11 minutes left in the first half, so Pike really had no choice there. In the 2nd half, Pike rode with Ogbole, Buchanan, Zrno, JMake, and Francis for at least the last 8 or 10 minutes of the game. They’re the group that caused the 6 straight TOs and the 11-0 run, but after Minnesota scored, Pike called a good timeout, settled the guys down, and then stuck with the same lineup.
9. On to face a surging UCLA team. This will be a very tough game. Let’s shock the world.
