Rutgers Basketball preps for battle vs. Michigan, likely down key player
After grinding out a 58-57 bounce back win over Wisconsin to end a three-game skid, Rutgers finds themselves back in the heat of the race for a top four finish in the Big Ten. At 9-7 in the Big Ten, Rutgers is now tied with Illinois, Michigan State, and Michigan for fourth place and the Scarlet Knights are only half a game behind Maryland and Indiana.
The week ahead certainly will be a trying one and will test the will of this Rutgers team after head coach Steve Pikiell announced on Monday that it is likely defensive stalwart Caleb Mcconnell will likely miss his second game in a row due to a back injury, which he sustained in warmups just minutes to tipoff against Wisconsin this past Saturday.
It’s quite obvious that possibly not having the 2022 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year on the floor for Thursday’s contest against Michigan is a big loss for this team, but Pikiell has found a way to make adjustments and several bench players have stepped up and made the most of their minutes. Even with the loss of Mawot Mag and Caleb McConnell, Rutgers found a way to pick up a quality road win over a tough Wisconsin team.
BENCH CONTRIBUTIONS....
Although Rutgers doesn’t have a deep bench at the moment due to injuries, two players on Rutgers bench have stepped up and have become reliable players in key stretches of games.
Aundre Hyatt has now moved into the starting lineup in place of the injured Mawot Mag, and Derek Simpson has seen his role increase as he is now averaging 19.4 minutes per game over the last five games.
Since being inserted into the starting lineup during the last four games, Aundre Hyatt has been averaging 13.3 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 42% from the field. Hyatt did record a career high 24 points in the loss to Nebraska last Tuesday. His offensive prowess over the course of the last four games has been a much needed boost to help fill the gap where Rutgers has needed production
Not only is Hyatt playing well offensively, but he has stepped it up defensively. Hyatt has registered three blocks, 14 defensive rebounds, and committed only two personal fouls since being inserted into the starting lineup.
It may have taken Hyatt a few games to adjust and learn Mag’s role, but Hyatt has become the ultimate utility player. After finally settling into the 4-spot, without hesitation and moments before the start of the Wisconsin game, Hyatt had to fill the 3-spot in place of McConnell and defended wonderfully against the Badgers’ wing players.
Derek Simpson has become another player Pikiell has put his trust in and has inserted into rotation during key stretches of games. Since his role has increased, Simpson has been averaging 5.8 points per game and shooting 47.8% from the field in his last four games. Simpson has made smart decisions in the last four games of when to attack the basket and shoot when he has good looks.
This week Pikiell noted Simpson’s defense has been better recently because of the hard work he has put into improving his defense during practice.
Oskar Palmquist and Dean Reiber are two other players that have also seen their roles increase significantly. Both players have been able to adapt to the game almost immediately and provide meaningful minutes. On Saturday, Palmquist saw 18 minutes of action while Reiber was in for 16 minutes. Both tallied the most minutes in a game they’ve seen this season.
Although the numbers are not off the charts and it doesn’t show in the stat sheets, Palmquist and Reiber were able to play tough defense in the post and on the perimeter to help hold Wisconsin to 33.3% shooting from the field. Palmquist also drilled a key 3-pointer and Reiber scored 5 points in the game against Wisconsin.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR TONIGHT....
Tonight, Rutgers (17-10, 9-7) will face a Michigan (15-12, 9-7) team that has often been hard to figure out this season. Michigan has looked great through stretches of the season but they have also looked bad in other games.
The Wolverines will come to Jersey Mike’s Arena fresh off the heels of a big 84-72 win over their rival Michigan State, but Michigan is dealing with injuries of their own. Jett Howard, who suffered an ankle injury against Michigan State, and Terrance Williams, who injured his knee, will be game time decisions for head coach Juwan Howard.
Although Michigan is not the most powerful scoring offense in the Big Ten, they do average 73.5 points per game. Rutgers will have to find a way defensively to slow down Michigan and keep them under 65 points. Rutgers is 9-0 in Big Ten play when they hold their opponents to less than 65 points.
Cliff Omoruyi will be key to defending Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson in the post. Dickinson has been a playmaker against Rutgers in years past, so Omoruyi must play physical with Dickinson yet he has to be smart and avoid foul trouble.
With McConnell likely out for tonight’s contest, Rutgers will likely defend more in the half court and slow down the tempo of the game rather than apply too much full court pressure and possibly over commit on defense. Michigan doesn’t commit a lot of turnovers so look for Rutgers to force Michigan into taking poor shots from deep or force them to take poor shots with the shot clock winding down.
Paul Mulcahy must become more involved offensively. Although he had six assists in the game against Wisconsin, he only took seven shots the whole game and scored 6 points. Rutgers is a better team when Mulcahy is inserting himself in down low and backing down defenders, shooting the ball more, and scoring in double figures.
Cam Spencer and Aundre Hyatt will need to have a solid game against Michigan on both ends of the floor, however, Rutgers needs to create plays and situations where Spencer and Hyatt can get open looks to catch and shoot.
OUTLOOK....
If Rutgers can jump the hurdle and get past Michigan tonight, the Scarlet Knights could take a two-game winning streak into State College with renowned confidence.
Obviously, McConnell nursing his back injury back to full health is a must but if Rutgers can show they have the ability to win without two of their key starters, the Scarlet Knights should be in good shape to battle Penn State.
You always want to win as many games as you can but if Rutgers can split this week at 1-1, they will still be in contention for a top four finish in the Big Ten standings, which will earn them a double-bye for the conference tournament.
A win against Michigan could also be the tiebreaker in the standings for the Big Ten Tournament if Rutgers finishes with the same conference record as the Wolverines by the end of the season.
Most importantly, Rutgers wants to capture what would be a solid Q2 victory over Michigan to improve their tournament resume. Barring a complete collapse, Rutgers is still primed in making the NCAA Tournament but finishing strong and winning games will help improve their seed for the postseason.
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