Three Thoughts on Rutgers Basketball's 76-72 loss to Ohio State
Despite Rutgers nearly fighting back from 17 points down against Ohio State, it fell 76-72 to drop to 0-8 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Here are three thoughts after the game….
In the heat of Battle
Rutgers (8-5, 0-2 Big Ten) is no stranger to Ohio State’s Jamison Battle considering he hit a buzzer-beating three last season as a member of Minnesota that essentially knocked the Scarlet Knights out of the NCAA Tournament. Despite donning a different jersey, the results remained the same as he finished with 22 points, including six 3-pointers.
“We really got back in this game,” head coach Steve Pikiell said. “They had some unbelievable shots in the first half so tip of the hat to them. I watched some film at halftime and I thought we played really well on the defensive end but they were on an amazing clip.”
Battle also played a key role in helping the Buckeyes (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) build up a 17-point lead in the first half as he hit his first six shots with five of them being 3-pointers.
A bounce-back game for Derek Simpson
After a rough last two games from Derek Simpson in which he shot a combined 7-for-29, this was a bounce-back performance for the sophomore as he finished with 23 points on 9-for-16 shooting and pulled down eight rebounds.
“We need Derek to be aggressive like that, especially with the way they play defense,” Pikiell said. “We recognized that every team plays defense differently. I know Derek [Simpson] can finish the plays he needs to, downhill or in the lane. He's a really good mid-range guy and although some games prior haven't been like this, we have a lot of faith in him.”
Despite coming away with the loss, this felt like an outing Simpson can build off of as he looks to get his season back on track.
A rough outing for Cliff Omoruyi
Coming off a 17-point, 17-rebound performance against Stonehill, this game felt like a step back for Cliff Omoruyi as he finished with seven points, seven rebounds, and shot just 2-for-6 from the floor.
“We really tried to hang in there,” Pikiell said. “We outrebounded them and they will be in the top 25 next week, but we just fought. I loved how we connected but we need to get better. We showed some signs and I still believe this team can score 80 points, and we did get the ball up and down the court, but there are no moral victories in this great league. I'm proud of our effort but it wasn't enough.”
In a game where Rutgers fought back from 17 points down to make it 67-66 with 3:20 left, it is hard not to think if it got just a little bit more from Omoruyi it would have come away with the win.
Rutgers will return to action on Saturday when it faces Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena at noon (ET) on BTN.
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