RUTGERS LOOKS TO SPOIL IRISH NCAA HOPES

February 25, 2009


Mike Brey has stated his goal is for the Irish to make things interesting come Selection Sunday. Things were not looking like it would be very interesting when the Irish were mired in a seven-game losing streak, however ND has rebounded to win three of four including a thrashing of Louisville and a road win against Providence to make things interesting yet again. At 6-8 inthe Big East, they certainly have work left to do, and it starts tonight with a game they can not afford to slip up on against Rutgers.

As for Rutgers, playign out the string of another season is not sitting well for fans. The Scarlet Knights are 1-13 and in Fred Hill's third season, fans are quickly growing tired once again of the lackof success on the court. Some recruiting excitement lifted expectations heading into the season, but the continued losing ways will quickly wipe away any of that momentum.

Rutgers is led by freshman shooting guard Mike Rosario and classmate Greg Echenique has manned the paint adequately this season. While those two are certainly the building blocks for the future, they need help. The season long struggles on the court of Corey Chandler have been very evident by his drop in production and effectiveness after a promising, yet injury-plagued freshman season. Mike Coburn, another sophomore, is coming off a solid outing in their 74-56 loss versus WVU on Sunday, but he has not built on a solid frosh campaign either. Seniors Jaron Griffin and JR Inman continue to underachieve as their time on the floor seems to vary from half to half. Senior point guard Anthony Farmer has been solid throughout, but the lack of player pushing him for time does not give one much hope for a brighter future anytime soon for RU.

Luke Harangody continues to be a double-double machine and that is not likely to slow down against Rutgers. While the shot-blocking ability of Hamady N'Diaye and length of Inman might cause Harangody some difficulty at times, it is nothing greater than what he usually sees and is unlikely to deter him from racking up the points and rebounds. Teams are able to expose 'Gody defensively and wear him down to make him less efficient on offense, but RU seems adverse to going inside on offense, so do not expect them to challege the reigning Big East Player of the Year on that end of the floor.

With Rutgers likely in a 'playing out the string' mode at this point in time, do not be surprised to see Kyle McAlarney and Ryan Ayers finding open spaces to 'tee-it-up' from beyond the arc. When they get time, they are deadly. The Irish offensive abilities will carry them a long way against RU in this game.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Notre Dame 84
Rutgers 65


Irish Still Have Shot to Salvage NCAA Hopes (Post-Tribune)
Patience Pays Off for Notre Dame Bench Players (Chicago Tribune)
Notre Dame Not Taking Rutgers Lightly (Star-Ledger)
Fighting Irish Not Giving Up on NCAA's (Asbury Park Press)
Ejection Reaction Positive for Nash (South Bend Tribune)

Read more!

PAST RECRUITING FAILURES LEAD TO LATEST RU LOSS

February 23, 2009


A balanced West Virginia attack, with six players scoring eight or more points, picked up a 74-56 road win against Rutgers on Sunday afternoon.

The Mountaineers got out of the gate quickly, building a 21-4 lead, but the Scarlet Knights battled back to close the gap to within five before the half and again to within four at around the seven minute mark in the second half. However, Bob Huggins' had his Message Received (Charleston Gazette) and the Second Half Work on the Boards Keyed WVU Win (Daily Mail) at the RAC. After zero offensive rebounds in the first half, WVU corralled 15 in the second half, leading to 10 second chance points as Rebounding Ruins Rutgers (Asbury Park Press) at key points of the contest. For the game, WVU held an edge of 39-29 on the boards, with freshman Devin Ebanks posting a double-double with a team-high 14 points and 11 rebounds. Ebanks was a high-priority recruiting target of Fred Hill Jr. and the RU staff before signing with WVU.

Also, Rutgers was Done in by Da'Sean Butler - Another Jersey Kid that Got Way (NY Daily News), Wellington Smith, yet another, and Kevin Jones, a former high school teammate of current Scarlet Knights Mike Coburn and Jonathan Mitchell, who was also heavily recruited by Hill and staff. Smith and Jones Steal Show for WVU (Times West Virginian) as Smith registeres 12 points and 5 blocks and Jones adds 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 20 minutes.

The slow start, frenzied comeback, rebounding breakdowns and ultimately, a loss with an ineffecient offense becomes the Same Old Story for Rutgers Basketball (Asbury Park Press) as the Scarlet Knights fall to 1-13 in the Big East and have DePaul to thank for taking the spotlight off themselves for having one of the worst Big East seasons in the history of the conference.

As a team, RU managed just eight assists to their 16 turnovers, who under 42% from the field and 31% from the three-point line. Freshman Mike Rosario had a game-high 15 points, and was a crisp 6-9 from the field, but he committed six of the Knight's turnovers. Classmate Greg Echenique added 11 points and 7 rebounds, but the struggles of Corey Chandler continued as the sophomore was just 1-9 from the floor.

The saving grace, Rutgers will finally play in the Big East Tournament for the first time under Fred Hill Jr, but only because all 16 teams are getting a shot this season.

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: WEST VIRGINIA @ RUTGERS

February 22, 2009


West Virginia has won three of their last four games to move to 7-6 in the Big East and 18-8 overall. All three of those wins came at home and now they embark on a three-game road swing of winnable games, but they have lost their last three conference road games.

The first opponent for WVU in this road swing is the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers, who are 1-12 in Big East play. The game is a homecoming of sorts for junior small forward Da’Sean Butler and forward Wellington Smith, a pair of Jersey natives in the WVU starting line-up.

Huggins Sees No Let Down at Rutgers (Times West Virginian)
WVU Hits Road for Three Games (Times West Virginian)
Rutgers’ Frosh Sensation (Charleston Gazette)

West Virginia finds themselves in a pretty good position heading into the Big East stretch drive. They have climbed over .500 in the conference and they have a favorable slate to close out, even with the next three on the road.

The WVU toughness and willingness to defend and rebound should serve them well against Rutgers. Expect them to hold a lead throughout with Da’Sean Butler and Alex Ruoff leading the way like upperclassmen should.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

West Virginia 76
Rutgers 64

Read more!

RUTGERS FALLS TO VILLANOVA, 82-72

February 20, 2009


Villanova got back in the win column following a loss in their last game by extending the misery of Rutgers under Fred Hill. Villanova Shakes off Loss With Win over Rutgers (Philly Daily News) as the Wildcats Claw Past Knights (Asbury Park Press) on 'Senior Night' for Villanova.

A 24-7 run by Villanova put the game in their control after Rutgers took a brief 54-52 lead around the 10-minute mark of the second-half. Twenty turnovers were the biggest downfall for the Knights as Rutgers Loses to No. 12 Villanova, 82-72 (Star-Ledger).

Scottie Reynolds had a game-high 21 points for 'Nova as the Wildcats improve to 9-4 in the Big East and 21-5 overall. Corey Stokes added 17 and Corey Fisher 14 in the win. The sophomore duo played their high school basketball in New Jersey and came off the bench to key the big run that decided the game for VU.

Freshman Mike Rosario had a team-high 19 for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights shot a season-best (in Big East play) 52% from the field and found the range from three-point range, shooting 10-22, but their 20 turnovers and being out-rebounded on the offensive boards 14-5 led to 13 more shot attempts for Villanova and the difference in the game.

Rutgers falls to 1-12 in Big East play and will return home to face West Virginia on Sunday afternoon.

Read more!

RUTGERS TRAVELS TO MEET VILLANOVA

February 19, 2009



Villanova's hot streak was interrupted on Friday night when they were thumped by West Virginia in Morgantown. The Wildcats had won six games in a row entering that game, including hanging 102 points on Syracuse and Marquette in back to back wins before the 93-72 loss at WVU.

Jay Wright's squad is now 8-4 in the Big East and 20-5 overall. They returned everyone of signficance from a club that last season went to the Sweet 16 as a 12-seed and this year they should certainly be looking at a seed anywhere between a 3 or a 6 in the NCAA Tournament.

On the other side of tonight's ledger is Rutgers. It is another disappointment for Fred Hill's squad, although this season was supposed to be different. Expectations were rising for Hill's program as he entered his third season with some solid returning players and some highly regarded recruits. Unfortunately, results on the court have not come very quickly and RU is in real danger of having their worst season yet under Hill.

Rutgers is currently 1-11 in the Big East and suffered out of conference losses, at home, to St. Bonaventure, Lehigh and Binghampton. In three season as Rutgers' head coach, Hill is 6-42 in Big East conference games. OUCH!


Here are some pregame stories and previews from the web:

Villanova's Wright Hopes Big Loss Woke Team Up (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Villanova's Reynolds Gives Team Whatever it Needs (Philadelphia Daily News)
Colonia's Donnely Now Helping 'Nova (mycentraljersey.com)

Not so long ago, Fred Hill recruited New Jersey to the benefit of Jay Wright. Hill was a key part of Wright's staff and was the lead recruiter fr players such as Randy Foye, helping Villanova reach the Elite 8. Now Hill is recruiting Jersey for the benefit of his own program and had some impressive success the last couple years with players such as Corey Chandler, Greg Echenique and Mike Rosario. However, recruiting success has not brough success on the court as of yet and the Scarlet Knights are scuffling through another losing season. The continued losing has also slowed down the recruiting momentum as well.

Last season, Rutgers surprised a nationally ranked Villanova squad in the RAC. With everyone back for the Wildcats, they will certainly remember that result as they prepare to meet the Knights this season. This time the game is at the cozy Pavilion on the VU campus.

Villanova is likely to attack the ballhandling and decision-making defeciencies of Rutgers directly. Guards Corey Fisher, Scottie Reynolds and Reggie Redding are all strong defensively and they will extend pressure to take RU out of their offense. In the paint, Dante Cunningham will use his shooting touch to move inside and out to score points.

Rutgers will need a hot-shooting performance from Mike Rosario as well as other players to step up offensively. The interior players such as Echenique, Hamady N'Diaye and JR Inman should be able to find some success in the paint against a smaller Villanova line-up, but the trick is to get them the ball, something the RU guards have been unable to do with any consistency this season.

Villanova is an 18 1/2-point favorite tonight on their home floor. Their combination of hot shooting and pressure defense will be a very tough combination for RU to handle away from home.

NBE Blogger Preview:

Villanova 90
Rutgers 68

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: RUTGERS @ PROVIDENCE

February 14, 2009


On Saturday evening, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights head to Providence to take on Keno Davis’ Friars. Rutgers has been off since last Sunday’s home loss to rival Seton Hall. RU is now just 1-10 in Big East play this season. Providence snapped a three-game losing streak with a 77-62 win at South Florida, pushing their Big East record to 7-5.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on the game:

PC Can’t Afford to Slip Against Downtrodden Rutgers (Providence Journal)
Capsule Preview: Rutgers @ PC (Providence Journal)
PC’s Postseason Hopes May Hinge on Strong Regular Season Finish (Providence Journal)

Well, it is year #3 of the Fred Hill era and, despite the addition of McDonald’s All-American Mike Rosario and highly touted 6-foot-9 Greg Echenique, things are not looking much different than year’s #1 and #2. In fact, this season has a real chance at being the worst yet, a very disappointing, but very real, possibility.

In Big East play under Hill, the Scarlet Knights are a pathetic 6-41, good for a .128 winning percentage. Once again, it is an anemic offense that is the root of their struggles. In Big East play, Rutgers manages just 0.948 points per possession. That would be an offense that ranked 266th in the NCAA and be the worst among all major conference teams. While Providence is certainly not going to win any defensive awards, the RU offense is more of a tonic for the PC defense than the PC defense for the RU offense.

On their home floor, PC can definitely score some points and they have plenty of scoring options, while Saturday’s opponent seems to rely solely on Mike Rosario to shoot them into games. On the road, this is probably not a good game plan to follow.

As for the Friars, like the South Florida game, PC needs to avoid any possibility of slipping up in this game to remain in the top half of the conference and to keep their slim NCAA Tournament hopes alive. With their best non-conference win coming against the A-10’s Rhode Island, the importance of finishing up strong in the Big East is not lost on Keno Davis.

“I think finishing in the top half is very important because if you don’t finish in the top half, you have to have a very good RPI or a very good non-conference coming in,” Davis said in the Big East coaches conference call this week. “Not many people have picked Providence to be one of the top division teams and right now we are. That’s a nice spot to be in and we control our own destiny if we’re going to be in the top half of this league.”

Winning on Saturday is another step in securing that possibility and give them 8 league wins. With Louisville, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, before finishing with a rematch against Rutgers and then a conference finale with Villanova ahead on the schedule, this is a most-win game for the Friars.

While Rutgers will likely scrap and try to get physical, the Friars will have too much offense and the offensive struggles of the Scarlet Knights are likely to prevent them from keeping up in this one.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Providence 78
Rutgers 63

Read more!

RUTGERS FALLS TO SETON HALL, AGAIN

February 9, 2009


The Jersey grudge match that is Seton Hall and Rutgers took place for the second time in 10 days, this time at the RAC on the Rutgers campus, on Sunday afternoon. As expected, it was a tight and intense affair that came down to the final minutes.

The Pirates finished the game on a 7-0 run as Seton Hall Beats Rutgers, 65-60, to Sweep Season Series (Star-Ledger). After starting Big East play 0-6, SHU has now won four straight and have a date at DePaul next. The Rutgers season of improved expectations and momentum from some recruiting success is turning into another disaster as they fall to 1-10 in the Big East and 10-14 overall.

Jeremy Hazell had a game-high 19 points and John Garcia gutted out a 13-point, 8-rebound performance to lead the Pirates as Seton Hall Beats the Scarlet Knights for Second Time this Season (Asbury Park Press).

Rutgers did not help themselves down the stretch as they turned the ball over, missed free throws and shot after shot. The Loss to Seton Hall Shows Rutgers Coach Fred Hill, Jr. is Getting Outcoached (Star-Ledger) and his Big East head coaching record is 6-41 in his third season. The third season is the year where a coach is supposed to make his move and the direction of the program is established. With Rutgers scheduled to have a new athletic director in place in the near future, Hill better show some progress in the near future. As the losses continue to pile up, the recruiting momentum that was built last summer seems to dwindle rapidly.

Mike Rosario led RU with 15 points, but the tough defense of SHU senior Paul Gause made him work very hard for each of those points and forced him into 5 turnovers. Gause has Become the Senior Leader for Seton Hall (Gloucester Times) and he added 10 points and 4 steals in the win yesterday.

While RU's struggles under Hill continue, maybe Bobby Gonzalez is point the Pirates in the right direction. While the four game win streak has not come against teams with a 9-35 (.205) combined Big East record, it looks like Gonzalez Rights Seton Hall (NY Daily News) after the 0-6 start and has positioned them above the other conference bottom-feeders, something many believed Fred Hill was going to start doing this year.

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ RUTGERS

February 8, 2009

It is already time for the rematch between Garden State rivals on Sunday when Rutgers and Seton Hall square off at high noon at the RAC. Just 10 days earlier, Seton Hall held off a late Rutgers rally for a 70-67 win in the always hotly contested match-up.

Seton Hall is riding the momentum of a three-game winning streak in the contest which has been largely thanks to the extremely hot hand of Jeremy Hazell. The sophomore scorer-extraordinaire scored 35 in the win over Rutgers, with 28 coming in the second half. In his last outing, a 91-81 SHU win over St. John’s, Hazell scored 31 more.

Rutgers finally got their first Big East win of the year as they beat up on punching bag DePaul last weekend. They followed that up with a 57-47 setback at Georgetown and now face their rivals, looking for revenge from the earlier defeat.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on the game:

Friendly Rivals (Asbury Park Press)
Mike Rosario is Still Working Hard for Rutgers as SHU Comes to the RAC (NJ.com)
RU vs. SHU: The Sequel (mycentraljersey.com)

We keep waiting for Rutgers to show some progress and improvement in Fred Hill’s third season as head coach. The Scarlet Knights were 2-14 and 3-15 in his first two seasons and there was some hype surrounding this year’s club with the additions of Mike Rosario and Greg Echenique. However, it has not translated into success on the court as RU is just 1-9 in the Big East this season.

Rosario has done his part as one of the top freshman in the Big East, unfortunately, the team around him often plays in a dysfunctional manner with little flow on offense and often playing into the opponents preferred style.

Seton Hall will try and get Rutgers into their manic style of basketball. That is often easier done at home than on the road where the crowd and officials can be more favorable to tilt the game in their favor. Now, they will have to get back onto the road and see if their momentum of three straight wins will carry over.

The Pirates just finished a four-game home stand, winning their last three, and now face RU and DePaul on the road before the schedule toughens once again. They certainly have some impressive offensive talent, now they will have to come together on the road for a win.

The college basketball lines this morning show Rutgers as a 1 ½-point favorite on their home floor. While SHU looks to be the better team, Rutgers is likely to play this game as it is their season on their home floor. Look for the Knights to come out with a win, in a very intense battle between the two Jersey schools of the Big East.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Rutgers 73
Seton Hall 70

Read more!

RUTGERS TURNS OVER WIN TO HOYAS

February 4, 2009


The Georgetown/Rutgers games was definitely not a pretty one. However, the result was one that the Hoyas needed desperately as Georgetown Puts an End to Five-Game Skid (Washington Times) with a 57-47 victory over the Scarlet Knights in the Verizon Center on Tuesday night.

While their offense is still in need of some work, the Hoyas' defense did the job as Rutgers is Held to a Season-low 47 points in Loss (Star-Ledger) to Georgetown.

Senior guard Jesse Sapp showed signs of snapping out of his extended shooting slump, scoring a team-high 11 points on four of five shooting from the field and hitting both of his three-pointers. Greg Monroe added 10 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists as the Hoyas move to 4-6 in the Big East.

Rutgers seemed more intent on imitating Plaxico Burress and wounding themselves as Miscues Lead Georgetown Over the Knights (Asbury Park Press) as RU turns the ball over 21 times. The sloppy ball handling was singled out by coach Fred Hill following the game.

"Obviously you can't play like that as a guard — 20 minutes, eight turnovers, I'm not sure I've ever seen that," Hill said to the Asbury Park Press following the game about sophomore Corey Chandler. "You can't keep making the same mistakes over and over and over again and expect to win. He's go to shore up his decision-making and his ball-handling."

Mike Rosario scored a game-high 20 points for RU, who trailed at one point, 49-29, before chipping away at the final margin of defeat.

Rutgers will host in-state rival Seton Hall at noon on Sunday as the two meet for the second time in 10 days.

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: RUTGERS HITS ROAD AGAINST HOYAS

February 3, 2009


It is now or never got John Thompson III and his Georgetown Hoyas. If they can not snap out of their funk tonight in the Verizon Center when they host Rutgers, it might never happen this year.

Georgetown has lost five games in a row and now sit at 3-6 in the Big East at the halfway mark of conference play. They return home after an 0-3 road swing that included losses at Seton Hall, Cincinnati and Marquette.

Rutgers snapped their own nine-game losing streak with a 75-56 drubbing of DePaul at the RAC this weekend. It was the first conference win for the Knights who are 1-8 in conference play.


Here are some pre-game stories and previews from around the internet this morning:

At Big East Midpoint, Hoyas Face Steep Climb (Washington Post)
Knights Draw Sliding Hoyas (Asbury Park Press)

Georgetown did get injured DaJuan Summers back for their game against Marquette over the weekend. The Hoyas' leading scorer had missed the entire second half with an injured ankle the previous game, a loss to Cincinnati, and was listed as doubtful for the game with the Golden Eagles. Summers helped the struggling Hoya offense with a team-high 22 points and Chris Wright added his best performance in a while with 19 points and 8 assists.

However, on a day they got some offense (was averaging just 58 points in their previous three losses), Georgetown could not stop Marquette from scoring in the 94-82 loss. The game was tied at 42 at halftime, but the quickness of Marquette was too much for Georgetown as they committed 27 fouls and were outscored 30-8 from the foul line. So, despite shooting 56% from the field and hitting 10 of 20 from three-point range, it was another loss for the Hoyas.

Rutgers won the Big East Super(bad) Bowl on the eve of the Big Game by keeping DePaul (0-9) winless in the conference. Led by Mike Rosario and Jaron Griffin's season-high 16 points a piece, RU cemented the place of the Blue Demons in the conference basement.

Georgetown is listed as a 16 1/2-point favorite in the latest NCAA basketball betting odds. The line seems to be dead-on, but could be skewed with the early season effeciency numbers of the Hoyas which have not been the same of late.

Rutgers seems dysfunctional at times on the floor with poor decisions and gameplanning, but they do seem to play hard and they can utilize some size that might give the Hoyas some trouble at times. Georgetown definitely has more talent, especially in the starting line-up, but their lack of depth and inside muscle could keep Rutgers hanging around, at least a little bit.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 76
Rutgers 63

Read more!