Final Three Thoughts on Rutgers Men's Basketball's OT win over Ohio State
Rutgers Men's Basketball got revenge and took down Ohio State, 68-64, in overtime at Jersey Mike's Arena on Sunday afternoon a little more than a month after the Buckeyes edged the Scarlet Knights in Columbus.
The good vibes kept coming as five-star Ace Bailey announced his commitment to Rutgers shortly after the game. As mentioned after Dellquan Warren pledged to Rutgers, the 2024 class could be special. Matter of fact, it already is, but it could be even better if all the chips fall into place.
Will Rutgers be ranked later today (Monday)? We'll find out soon enough. It received votes in the AP Top 25 last week.
And with that, check out some thoughts on the game below.
A game of runs
Like football is a game of inches, basketball is a game of runs. Ohio State went on 9-0 run midway in the second half to regain a 44-38 advantage. The Buckeyes started to figure out the suffocating Rutgers defense by making three shots in a row, four of five, and eight of 11.
The Scarlet Knights didn't flinch as Derek Simpson converted an athletic layup, and then Caleb McConnell drew contact and made a free throw along with his a bucket inside.
Tied at 55-55, Ciff Omoruyi threw down a thunderous on a pick-and-roll play with Paul Mulcahy. Omoruyi didn't have the best offensive day, but he didn't let that affect his defense.
Rutgers had two separate 7-0 runs in the second half, Ohio State had the big 9-0 surge, and the Buckeyes took an early 15-4 in the game thanks to a 15-0 run. Rutgers responded.
In overtime, Rutgers used an 8-0 run to pull out the victory. Omoruyi got position inside for the layup and then Mawot Mag drained a 3-pointer in the corner for a 65-61 lead. Mag then followed it up with two clutch free throws.
"They just stay the course," Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said. "Even in the first half, in the locker room, I said I liked the looks that we got. They're not going. But if we can't score, they can't score and that's how we just continue to grind. Even getting it into overtime the way that we did. They're really good. That was a really good basketball team. I have a ton of respect for these guys, but down the stretch, we made a few more plays than them and that was the difference."
Good defense, bad offense
Rutgers, which owns the third-best defense in the country per KenPom, was its usual self on that end of the court. Perimeter defense was tight and help defense flocked to the paint. Rutgers recorded eight blocks, eight steals, and made Ohio State turn the ball over a total 13 times. The Buckeyes, are the fourth-best offense per KenPom, averaged 78.9 points per game coming in, but were held to a season-low. They also shot just 34% on field goals.
"Cliff gets six blocks. Everyone had some huge steals," Pikiell said. "Their freshman (Brice ) is really terrific. He made some big shots. They got the ball into the post. We did a lot of good things on the defensive end of the floor. They're the most efficient team offensively in the league and one of the most efficient in the country. Sueing is a really good player. Mawot and everyone that played him held him to 7 points. That was one of our keys today. It takes everybody and everybody was connected."
On the opposite end of the court, Ohio State's defense isn't as good at Rutgers, but the Scarlet Knights had a tough time scoring. That's nothing new as Rutgers normally isn't going to get in a track meet and outscore teams, but it was inefficient.
There was seemingly a lid on the hoop as both teams went without a point until four minutes into the game. The Scarlet Knights shot 34% in the game (21-for-62) and 6-of-24 on 3-pointers. However, they did make 20-of-27 free throws.
Rutgers also got almost nothing (two points) from the bench in the scoring department.
Better to be lucky sometimes
Rutgers entered the game as the No. 334 unluckiest team in the country. Down the stretch, OSU's Zed Key had a few chances inside after patient post moves, but the ball rolled off the glass and just off the rim each time.
Isaac Likekele missed a reverse layup where ball rolled around the rim, too.
The Scarlet Knights also got some good bounces it turned into rebounds and points like Cam Spencer's fadeaway jump shot to go up 60-59.
In the first half as well, Rutgers was the beneficiary of a sequence where the ball glanced off the rim on an OSU shot, but the shot clock never reset. One official called a violation while another called a reach in foul on Cam Spencer. They went to the monitor and they determined it as a shot clock violation.
"We got our shots a lot late. We got Zed (Key) right where we wanted too twice," OSU coach Chris Holtmann said. "Justice (Sueing) had a clean look on the perimeter. I liked Brice (Sensabaugh)'s shot from the top to win the game. I've got no issue with that. It's hard when you play an elite defense. Steve does a great job. They have great length. They really are terrific defensively."
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
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