Despite facing a short-handed Michigan team, Rutgers fell to the Wolverines 71-62 to drop its second in a row.
Here are three thoughts after the game….
NO RHYTHM OFFENSIVELY
Outside of 19 points from Ron Harper Jr. and 17 from Cliff Omoruyi, the Scarlet Knights (16-11, 10-7 Big Ten) did not do much to help themselves offensively as they were held to their lowest total since their 68-60 loss to Maryland on Jan. 25.
“Obviously a tough road game and Michigan played well,” Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said. “I thought we were a step slow on both ends of the floor.”
Rutgers also had a tough time getting anything going from the 3-point line as it finished 2-12 with Paul Mulcahy and Omoruyi netting the team’s only treys.
A ROUGH NIGHT FOR MULCAHY
This was the type of night where nothing went right for Mulcahy. Finishing with five points on 2-for-8 shooting, Mulcahy seemed unable to shake off his early game foul trouble to the point where it showed in his body language and expressions each time he missed a shot.
“We had some timely turnovers and some opportunities to make some layups and make some shots and we didn’t convert,” Pikiell added. “That kind of snowballed.”
With three regular-season games left, Rutgers is going to need Mulcahy to shake this performance off quickly as he is an important cog in its offense and one that will likely play an integral role in deciding how the rest of this season plays out.
NOT A GREAT DEFENSIVE SHOWING
Despite Michigan (15-11, 9-7 Big Ten) being without head coach Juwan Howard and players Terrance Williams II and Moussa Diabate, the Scarlet Knights had a tough time slowing down Caleb Houstan as he finished with a career-high 21 points.
“They got on a run and got into the lane,” Pikiell said. "We talked a lot about that and they got on a little bit of a run.”
Rutgers also struggled to stop Hunter Dickinson as he recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Devante’ Jones scored 14 and Eli Brooks had 11. Former longtime Saint Joseph’s coach and current Michigan associate head coach Phil Martelli earned the victory filling in for Howard.
Rutgers will look to bounce back on Saturday when it takes on No. 13 Wisconsin at Jersey Mike’s Arena at 6 p.m. (ET) on BTN.
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