2/16/2021 basketball Edit

TKR TV: Steve Pikiell previews big Thursday night matchup vs. Michigan

Richie O'Leary • TheKnightReport

Publisher

Rutgers Men's Basketball head coach Steve Pikiell spoke with TKR and other local media members on Tuesday afternoon, previewing his team's Thursday night matchup against No. 3 Michigan.

The Scarlet Knights are 0-13 all-time against the Wolverines including two games last year at Madison Square Garden in New York City and at the RAC, disallowing Rutgers to go 19-0 at home.

Rutgers and Michigan also have some history with No. 9 Michigan defeating No. 4 RU, 86-70, in the 1976 NCAA Final Four to drop Rutgers to 31-1. Michigan also topped Rutgers 62-55 in the 2004 NIT Final at MSG.

A win would give Rutgers its highest ranked triumph as well.

Check out some notable quotes from the presser below

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On Michigan and what makes them so good…..

"Physically, they're really big and they do a great job of challenging you at the rim and the most amazing thing is they do it without fouling too. Really, really well coached, and it's a really good basketball team. They have good players at every position and they have a bench that's strong and they're very athletic, and they've added a few pieces too.

"I think they have three days on the draft board. They have pros. They play hard, they share the game, and they have size at the rim. They lead the league in blocked shots. They blocked a lot of our shots the last two years, and you don't get to the free-throw line so you really got to earn your points. Every year Michigan's good offensively. You have problems at both ends of the floor."

On how difficult the matchup vs. UM was last year…..

”They are a really good, right now I think they have three guys on the draft board, so they have pros and they are well coached. Again Juwan (Howard) has done a great job, they play hard and share the ball. They size at the rim, they lead the league in blocked shots and they blocked a lot of our shots the last two years. Also they get to the free throw line, so you have to earn your points against them. Every year Michigan is also good offensively, so you don’t just have problems on one end of the floor, you have problems at both ends of the floor. They have great size, you have Wagner at 6-9, Livers at 6-8, 7-1 at the center spot and really good guards who share the ball well. They can put five guys on the floor at all times who can shoot the ball from deep.”

On where the team is at on the court and in the NCAA picture…..

”We don’t really talk about that, we have Michigan this week and five games left. After those five games, then we will start talking about that other stuff. We don’t spend a lot of time on it, I know everyone else does, but we don’t. We have to play great basketball, every team in our league is good. You see what Nebraska did the other day, then you see what Maryland did the other day and Michigan comes back off of hiatus against a real good Wisconsin team. If you look too far down the road you are in trouble, so we go one game at a time. I like where our team is, I like health wise where we are and I like that we are getting better in certain areas. We continue to stay COVID free and we are playing good basketball right now, which is important at any time of the year in this league.”

On freshman 7-1, 255-pound center Hunter Dickinson to TKR…..

"He doesn't play like a freshman. That's the first thing that I say every time I watch him play. He's poised. He plays beyond his years. He's huge and he can finish with both hands which is rare for a big guys. He's a really good rebounder the way he controls his body and even when you have him boxed out, he'll come up with a terrific rebound and they get the ball into him. Hopefully between Cliff, (Mamadou Doucoure), and between Myles, we got to make his life harder. He's had some huge nights. He handles his double teams well. You have to do a good job with your rotations but they can also kick out to good 3-point shooters."

On what a win over the Wolverines would mean for the team, program to TKR…..

"Michigan has been great since I've been in the league. Coach (Juwan) Howard and coach (Jon) Beilein. They were an NCAA Tournament finalist. Elite program. We got to go on the road. Another coach in our league said this is a national championship-type team. You got to play well. It's another thing we've never done. It would be great for our guys. We haven't been close, really. We got to do a great job. This is maybe their best team [in a while]. We have to make shots and play at an elite level and you better not turn the ball over. Purdue a couple years ago was that elite team that could win the whole thing. Michigan has been that team this year in our conference. "