No. 25 Rutgers Basketball officially kicked off its season with a 75-52 win over Wagner at Jersey Mike's Arena. It marked the official collegiate debut for five-star freshman Dylan Harper, who showed out with 20 points to lead all scorers. Fellow five-star Ace Bailey was held out due to an injury sustained in practice on Monday, but it did not appear to hinder the Scarlet Knights at all.
Here are three thoughts following the win, and into the near future for the squad.
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1. NO ACE, NO PROBLEM.
With Bailey - considered day-to-day by head coach Steve Pikiell - not available, it was going to be key to see who would take over his role and offensive command. Merrimack transfer Jordan Derkack got the start in his place, but he did not command the same attention (obviously) as Bailey would have. Derkack did do a solid job of attacking the rim relentlessly throughout, drawing seven fouls over the course of the game.
It truly was the Harper show from the moment the ball was tipped, however. He controlled the tempo and pace as expected, leading all scorers with 20 points to go along with three rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Harper was fearless driving to the rim in the half court offense and in transition, and looked to get his jumper in a good flow as well.
Sophomore guard Jamichael Davis also had a solid game, leading the team with five assists and playing tough full-court defense. Seniors Jeremiah Williams and PJ Hayes each scored in double figures in efficient nights as well, shooting a combined 8-for-12 from the floor.
All in all, the Scarlet Knights had a very solid offensive night from the floor. As a team, they shot 50.1% on field goals and outscored Wagner 40-22 in points in the paint. They also ran out in transition plenty, racking up 26 fast break points compared to just two for the Seahawks.
How will everyone's role change when Bailey does return, whether Monday against St. Peter's or later? Probably not by too much. Harper is still the point guard and will run the offensive attack, Hayes and Martini will still be spot-up threats from the perimeter, and so on. His return adds another dimension of depth and versatility to the team, in addition to his otherwordly shotmaking ability.
Looking past the offense, Rutgers' defensive effort was tremendous as well. The Seahawks shot just 35% from the floor and 31% from beyond the arc, including a massive 11-minute scoring drought featuring 17 consecutive missed shots in the first half.
The Scarlet Knights' output on offense - and defense - was an efficient one, particularly at exposing Wagner's weakness at size. And it could still get better with the addition of another five-star.
2. CHANGING OF THE GUARD AT CENTER?
One of the main question marks on Rutgers' roster was at center. After losing Cliff Omoruyi, Pikiell and company opted to roll with Emmanuel Ogbole and Lathan Sommerville as the center rotation, with some of Martini mixing in at the position. It pretty much represented the cavernous range between ceiling and floor for the Scarlet Knights.
Ogbole earned the starting role for the exhibition against St. John's and for opening night, a widely panned move due to his relative lack of experience and polish in his time playing the position. Pikiell decided to make his first substitutions around four minutes into the game, including bringing in Sommerville for Ogbole.
That was pretty much it for the junior big man.
Sommerville immediately took over the role, helping spark the Scarlet Knights' massive 20-0 run to blow the game open. He unsurprisingly impressed the most on the offensive end, showcasing his guard-like skill set with a solid handle, post moves, and touch around the rim. In one first-half highlight, he received a long pass up the floor from Davis and caught the ball, took one dribble, spun around the defender, and converted an up-and-under layup to get the Jersey Mike's Arena crowd on its feet.
Rutgers likely does not go on the run that planted a comfortable lead without Sommerville on the floor.
Arguably as impressive was his efforts on the defensive end. He scrapped hard when shots went up, tying for the game lead with eight rebounds, while also blocking a shot.
Ogbole got the starting nod to start the second half, but Pikiell was forced to make a move yet again when the junior picked up two fouls in under two minutes, bringing Sommerville back into the game yet again. Ogbole ended the game playing just five minutes, finishing with one rebound and three fouls.
The Illinois-native showed off the flair yet again, flipping a behind-the-back pass to Derkack under the rim while posting up. It would have been an impressive play had it been made by a sixth-year point guard, let alone a freshman center in his first official game.
Martini also checked in at center for stretches, playing solid during those possessions, but the center show was certainly stolen by Sommerville.
Does this mean he is the clear-cut starter for the rest of the season? Definitely not. There is a reason Ogbole won the starting job, even if he struggled against Wagner. However, Sommerville's efforts showed he may be farther ahead of schedule than many.expected, and he could compete for the starting role throughout the year. Even if he continues to come off the bench, his play on both ends of the floor should ease concerns about the depth of the team in general, especially at center.
3. WHERE TO IMPROVE?
Even in a 23-point win, there are ways to improve after the season's first game. Some issues should iron themselves out quickly, while some may take a little bit to fix.
Shooting: Despite converting at an efficient 50.1% clip as a team, there was a little left to be desired in the shooting department. The Scarlet Knights shot 7-for-23 from beyond the arc, good for 30%. The issue of shooting will always be a bit hard to predict, as the skill itself is hard to predict day in and day out. However, there is room for optimism as some of the team's top projected shooters were not at 100%.
Bailey, of course, did not play, while Eastern Michigan transfer Tyson Acuff is still ramping back up from the broken foot he suffered over the summer. Getting those two back and putting them in comfortable situations to shoot will certainly help the perimeter consistency.
Rutgers also had an inconsistent showing at the free throw line, hitting 12 of its 21 attempts. However, it represents another aspect with optimism to improve. Harper in particular struggled, shooting just 1-for-6 from the charity stripe. It certainly seems like an outlier, considering he shot over 90% from the line during his final two seasons at Don Bosco Prep. Harper's struggles likely boil down to first-game jitters. Harper and Ogbole - who has struggled with free throws for much of his career - were the only two to miss multiple chances at the line, so fixing up Harper's issues at the stripe will help the team's efficiency considering how much he projects to get there.
Rebounding: It may feel like a nitpick, but the rebounding game is another aspect where the Scarlet Knights can improve on. Given the Seahawks aforementioned lack of size, it was a bit surprising to see Wagner win the rebounding battle despite shooting 15 percentage points worse from the floor.
Wagner was able to win the battle of second chances, grabbing 12 offensive rebounds compared to just four for Rutgers. Pikiell mentioned the rebounding issue as a sticking point following both Wednesday's win and after the exhibition loss to St. John's, showing it is something he is focusing on and trying to improve.
While defensive rebounding could use a bit of work, offensive rebounding is one aspect where the Scarlet Knights must improve. Given the depth and talent on offense, it's important to actually give those players extra opportunities to make things happen, especially in advantage situations on offensive rebounds,
Of course a one-game sample size is not nearly enough to make sweeping conclusions, however last season the team's 30.2% offensive rebounding rate ranked 122nd nationally, while Wednesday night they managed just an 11.8% offensive rebounding rate.
If the rebounding production does improve, it will likely be done with time as the younger players get more experienced and stronger in the college game whie the veterans find their places on the floor. If the Scarlet Knights can get more offensive rebounds and give their shotmakers extra possessions, the offense has a chance to be even more dangerous.
While it is hard to find ways to improve after a 23-point win, those two facets can move Rutgers up the college basketball totem pole earlier in the season.
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