2/8/2021 basketball Edit

Rutgers Basketball's new rotation a big reason for turnaround

Daniel Pierrot

Staff Writer

Rutgers basketball has found a rotation that is showing remarkable promise. Over the past four games, all wins for Rutgers, they have started each half with Myles Johnson, Caleb McConnell, Ron Harper Jr., Geo Baker, and Paul Mulcahy on the floor. Prior to a substitute entering the game for Rutgers, this group has outscored their opponents by 55 points.

In the win over Minnesota, Rutgers went back to this group for the final eight minutes of the game. Down 58-52, they once again came through. They outscored Minnesota by 10 points in those minutes and walked away with another victory.

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When watching this group play, you can feel their chemistry and cohesiveness on defense. Between Mulcahy and Johnson helping out on drives, and McConnell shutting down every offensive player in front of him, this unit might have something special. Meanwhile, Baker’s defense has gotten much better and he has started to deflect more passes and take away the opponent’s options to pass out of the post.

On offense, Baker has been shooting the ball at a high rate. Over the course of their winning streak, he has shot 21/40 from the field including 39% from the three-point line. In addition to this, Myles Johnson has been nearly perfect at 20/24 from the field. But, what makes this unit great, is their unselfishness.

During the win streak, these five are averaging 10.75 assists per game. In the four games prior to this streak, the entire team averaged only 11.75 assists per game. They have also only turned the ball over 30 times in these four wins.

Down the stretch of the season, expect to see this lineup a lot. Their ability to defend and make the right plays have given coach Pikiell great returns. The shake up of the starting lineup could be one of Pikiell’s best moves as it has quickly turned the season around. Also, bringing high energy players like Montez Mathis, Jacob Young, and Cliff Omoruyi off the bench could turn out to be beneficial. When this unit is struggling, which will happen at times, it will be great to bring Young, Mathis, and Cliff Omoruyi in to give the team a new look.