3/1/2021 basketball Edit

Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr. need to lead the way for Rutgers Basketball

Daniel Pierrot

TheKnightReport.Net

The Rutgers Men’s basketball team is coming off a huge win over Indiana, where their offense was able to get rolling on all cylinders. In the game, Ron Harper Jr. and Geo Baker led the way. Their combined efforts (scoring and assisting) accounted for 57 of the team’s 74 points. In the prior losses to Michigan and Maryland, the two only combined for a total of 47 points.

In the Indiana game, Harper Jr. started to look like that unstoppable player, from early in the season. His three-point shooting looked effortless and he was able to finish in the paint with ease. Meanwhile, Baker had arguably the best game of his career. His 10 assists led the way for the team and was a career high, in Big Ten play.

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Ron Harper Jr. (left) and Geo Baker (Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)

Prior to the game, Harper Jr. had been in a long scoring slump. Dating all the way back to the beginning of January, he had recorded zero 20+ point games to go along with only two games of 15+ points. Baker, had also hit a small scoring skid, averaging only 7.7 points per game, in the prior three games.

Going forward, for Rutgers to reach its full potential, Baker and Harper Jr. will need to be the catalysts of the offense. Their shooting, play making, and finishing abilities allow them to do things that make everything else easier for their teammates.

The numbers also show their importance, in Rutgers’ success. In the 6-0 start to the season, Harper Jr. recorded three 20+ point games, one 30-point game, and he did not have a single game of less than 15 points. This stretch included wins over Maryland, Illinois, and Syracuse. During Rutgers’ four game Big Ten winning streak, which included wins over Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Minnesota, Baker averaged 14.5 points and 3.5 assists to go along with only eight turnovers.

In addition to this, in Big Ten wins, Baker averages 13.6 points while Harper Jr. averages 15.6 points. However, in Big Ten losses, Baker only averages 8.4 points and Harper Jr. averages 11.8 points.

For the rest of the season, this duo will need to produce at a high rate for this team to exceed expectations. Rutgers’ offense tends to go into slumps, but if these two can play at their best, these slumps will be few and far between, which should result in an exciting March.