Three Thoughts on Rutgers Basketball's loss to Miami in ACC/B1G Challenge
Rutgers lost a tough one to Miami 68-61 as it heads into a big matchup with No. 10 Indiana at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Saturday.
Here are three thoughts after the game….
A MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR RUTGERS....
Following a jumper from Caleb McConnell, Rutgers (5-2) took a 50-40 lead with about 14 minutes to go and appeared poised to earn a big road win against Miami (7-1). However, from that moment on it was all Hurricanes as they closed the game on a 28-11 run with the Scarlet Knights unable to make a basket in the final 2:40.
“This is a learning opportunity, we're going to be in a lot of close games when we go on the road," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "When you play guards as elite as these you're going to have to make shots down the stretch. We had our chances down the stretch to win the basketball game, when you go on the road and play good teams that's what you want and that’s what we had tonight."
In addition, Rutgers finished the game with 15 turnovers with seven of them coming in the final 13 minutes. This is a game that will be a bitter pill to swallow for Rutgers and its fans considering how close the victory was and what a win could have done heading into a tough slate of matchups.
SEARCHING FOR OFFENSE....
Although the Scarlet Knights had a trio of players record double digits in Caleb McConnell (16), Cliff Omoruyi (16), and Aundre Hyatt (11), it was apparent down the stretch they needed somebody to pull them out of their rut and nobody answered the bell.
“There were a couple of great plays for them, we talked about it all week, they converted our turnovers to layups," Pikiell continued. "When you play a team that talented, they were an Elite Eight team last year, we talked a lot about turnovers and we had our opportunities and looks.”
Whether it was Cam Spencer totaling three points shooting 1-10 from the field or the bench offering just six points, Rutgers will need all hands on deck in games like this if it hopes to come away with the win. Granted, the Scarlet Knights are still without Paul Mulcahy but at some point they will need to start overcoming challenges like this and prove they are a deeper team than in years past.
ON TO INDIANA....
If Rutgers is looking for an elixir after a game like this, a perfect one is coming to Jersey Mike’s Arena on Saturday as it welcomes old friend Indiana into town. While the Scarlet Knights can say they have had the Hoosiers’ number the last few years, this is a different Indiana team as it comes in ranked in the top 10 and a preseason selection to win the conference.
“They were a couple points better than us so tip of the hat, they have a really experienced coach and basketball team but we did a lot of good things too,” Pikiell said regarding Miami. “We outrebounded them and held our own in a lot of other areas that they are elite at. They got tremendous drivers and outscored us from the free-throw line so we have to get more free-throw points than the other team.”
If Rutgers can knock off the Hoosiers it will go a long way in getting this bad taste out of its fanbase’s mouth and mark an early resume-boosting win. However, it is still early and if last season has taught one anything it is that things can change quickly in college basketball.
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