12/15/2020 basketball Edit

Three Thoughts on Rutgers Basketball's win versus Maryland

Craig Epstein

Staff Writer

Thanks to a strong second half, Rutgers was able to down Maryland 74-60 and pick up their first victory in College Park since 1941.

Here are three thoughts after the game:

FREE PREMIUM ACCESS UNTIL LATE JANUARY — CLICK HERE FOR MORE!!

A Historic Start

Rutgers has not only gotten out to a brilliant 5-0 start, but they have done so in style as they have won all five of their games by double-digits. This is the first time the Scarlet Knights have accomplished such a feat since 1934-35 when Frank Hill was their coach and Franklin D. Roosevelt was the President of the United States.

“We’re focused on the job that we had to do today against a really good basketball team and trying to go 1-0,” Head Coach Steve Pikiell said in his postgame press conference. “We know there’s a 20-game gauntlet here it’s called the Big Ten conference so it just gets harder and harder and we got to go one game at a time.”

This is also the first time Rutgers has won their Big Ten opener since joining the conference and the program’s third 5-0 start under Pikiell.

Ron Harper Jr. Leads The Way

Even with team captain Geo Baker back in the lineup, Ron Harper Jr. was the leading man for the Scarlet Knights as the junior finished the game with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Not only that, but he made five of his eight three-point attempts as well.

“Ron’s a tough matchup, he really is and he’s playing with really good confidence,” Pikiell continued. “There’s a lot of things he gives us but tonight he had it going and we continued to get him the ball in good spots where he can make it difficult for guys to defend him.”

With 19 of his points coming in the second half, Harper Jr. appears to have established himself as a reliable presence down the stretch of games as he seemed to hit every key shot that led Rutgers’ victory over the Terrapins.

Geo Baker Is Back

Coming off of three straight missed games due to a high ankle sprain he suffered in the season-opening win against Sacred Heart, Baker appeared to knock off the rust rather quickly as he played for 28 minutes and finished the contest with 15 points.

“I didn’t think he’d be able to play that much but he said he felt really good,” Pikiell said. “Obviously he does some things for us both defensively and offensively. It was great to have him back and have our full complement of guys.”

Assuming Baker was not playing at 100 percent, it is a scary thought for the rest of the Big Ten how good this Scarlet Knights team can be once he is as he was still able to contribute offensively and hit his patented step-back shot with ease.

Rutgers is set to return to action after a five-day layoff when they take on No. 13 Illinois at the RAC at 1 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2.