Rutgers Hoops performs Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
In 1931, a movie came out called Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In this movie, Dr. Jekyll, a kind and respected doctor takes a potion that turns him into the evil Mr. Hyde, who is the opposite of the good Dr. Jekyll. Despite his best efforts, he cannot stop himself from turning into Mr. Hyde. Now, in 2022, this same story is being told again by the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
At home, or Dr. Jekyll, the team is 10-1 overall with an undefeated conference record. They knocked off the number one team in the country, held Iowa to their lowest point total of the season, beat Michigan for the first time ever, and have looked as impressive as any team in the country.
However, on the road, or Mr. Hyde, Rutgers is 1-6 overall, with a 1-3 conference record. They have allowed 73.4 points per game, which is 15 points per game more than they’ve given up at home, and just lost to a depleted Minnesota team that had one conference win all season.
There are many reasons for why this team becomes Mr. Hyde on the road, but first we can start with Ron Harper Jr. At home, Harper Jr. has shot 49% from the field and 47% from the three-point-line, on his way to 18 points per game. But, on the road, Harper Jr. is shooting only 39% from the field and is averaging 13.6 points.
This also goes for the rest of the team. Their shooting takes a hit on the road where their average has been 39.3% in conference as opposed to 47.3% at home. In fact, Paul Mulcahy has averaged 7.5 assists per game at home, which would rank third in the country and number one in the Big Ten. This trend goes across the board in most statistical categories for each player, where their performances at home are exceptionally better than on the road.
Due to some bad losses in the beginning of the season, Rutgers is putting a lot of pressure on themselves to not have any blemishes at home. Over the next two months, this is going to become increasingly harder because Michigan State, Ohio State, Illinois, and Wisconsin (all ranked in the top 25) will be coming to New Jersey to play the Scarlet Knights. Just one or two poor performances could lead the way to them missing the madness in March and an early end to the season.
The best way to remove this pressure is to get a few more road wins. This can certainly be accomplished in the next two road games where Rutgers will be playing games against Northwestern and Nebraska, who are at the bottom of the Big Ten conference. To do this, they need to say goodbye to Mr. Hyde, and bring their best on the road with them instead of leaving it back in Piscataway.
--------------------------------------------------------------