3/3/2020 basketball Edit

Taking a deeper look at Rutgers Hoops road struggles

Daniel Pierrot

Rutgers.Rivals.com

The road struggles for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights have been well documented. In a season where Rutgers is looking to make the NCAA tournament for the first time in 29 years, their one resume flaw has been the lack of success on the road.

However, Rutgers has not been as bad on the road as you would think. Their point differential sits at only -3.8 and they’ve lost eight road games by single digits. Other than the two early road losses to Michigan State and Pittsburgh, the Scarlet Knights have been close, but have just not done enough to win. This is especially true for their last three road games, where they have been within striking distance late in the game.

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Rutgers had been down 13+ points at the half in each of those three games, before storming back. They shot 41.3% in the first half and then 49.5% in the second half. They also averaged turning the ball over six teams in the first half compared to just five in the second half.

Those numbers show the team’s offensive improvements, but what is more telling is the improvement on the defensive end. To illustrate this, you can look at one major stat: Opponent Field Goal Percentage.

In the first half of those games, Rutgers’ opponents shot 53.2%, which is quite good, but in the second half, their opponents shot an abysmal 33.8%. Because of this, the team was +31 in points in the second half of those road games.

Rutgers has hung their hat on defense all year. So, it is not surprising that their defense is what had gotten them back into those road games. Their offense is streaky and has been capable of high output, but their defense has been their calling card.

In the upcoming games against Maryland and Purdue, Rutgers will need to perform in the first half like they have in the second half. Coach Steve Pikiell has mentioned putting together a complete game, and to pull out wins down the stretch, that is exactly what Rutgers will need to do.