There is panic in Piscataway as Rutgers fell in its recent matchup to Lafayette 53-51.
“I think we’re a lot better than this,” head coach Steve Pikiell said after the game. “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 and there’s nothing you can do about the past. You can only work on what you need to do to get better in the future.”
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Despite Pikiell claiming this is the best team he has had since coming to Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights (3-2) have not shown it as they have shot 41 percent from the field and 24 percent from three through their first five games.
“I stand by [my statement],” he said. “I like this team a lot, I really do. We got to figure it out, we got to get better.”
With the loss, Rutgers dropped two in a row following its 73-70 loss to DePaul in a wild game that saw nine made threes in the final four minutes. The Scarlet Knights have also left a lot to be desired in their victories over Lehigh, Merrimack, and NJIT.
“We just didn’t make shots today, and that’s everyone,” he continued. “You have nights like that and we’ll have a stretch here where we make a lot of shots too.”
So, the question has to be asked: what is wrong with Rutgers?
“These guys want to win as badly as anybody,” he continued. “Our fans haven’t seen a lot of home losses, that’s for sure. You have seasons and games where you’re going to lose, it’s a tough sport.”
While there is plenty of season left, it is alarming how listless their offense has looked in matchups that should have been relative cakewalks. The defense seems to have also taken a major step back which, for a Pikiell led team, is something nobody could have foretold.
“I didn’t like the rebounding numbers because I thought even when we were missing in the past we could crash the boards and get second shots,” he said. “We did a little bit in the second half but we just got to play better with more energy and it’s on me. It’s on me as the coach and I’m fully aware of that.”
One would have to go a long way to find many of the teams they have played so far in the KenPom. So, for Rutgers to look as poor as it has is cause for concern with Big Ten play looming.
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