BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CONNECTICUT @ RUTGERS

February 26, 2008


Connecticut had been finding ways to win as they built a 10-game winning streak. However, on Saturday, they could not find a way to win at Villanova, who ended their streak at 10 games with a 67-65 win over the Huskies. Rutgers, on the other hand, is limping home at 2-13 in the conference, losing their last seven, including a 30-pt loss to Marquette in their last outing.

UConn is expected to get deeper with the return of Jerome Dyson, who has missed the last nine games since being suspended for a failed drug test. Here are the local media game stories and previews on tonight's contest:


Huskies Expect Adjustment Period as Dyson Returns (New London Day)
How is Dyson's Return Game? (Hartford Courant)
Dyson in the Plans for UConn Men (Connecticut Post)
Dyson Returns to Different UConn Team (Rep-Am)
Inman Focuses in his Actions, not Reactions (Star-Ledger)
Thabeet, N'Diaye Take center Stage Tonight (Courier News)
Rutgers-UConn Scouting Report (Courier News)

In his last game, Jerome Dyson scored 20 pts in UConn's thrilling 84-83 win at Cincinnati. A few days later, Dyson and teammate doug Wiggins were cited on campus with possession of alcohol as minors and had to submit drug tests. Dyson's test came back positive and he was suspended from the team for 30 days. The Huskies rallied and ran off 8 straight wins, including victories at Indiana, home against Louisville, Pittsburgh, at Syracuse and against Notre Dame. They seemed to be falling off just a bit, but doing what they needed to do to win at South Florida and home against DePaul. It all finally caught up to them against Villanova last weekend. It seems, Dyson could not be coming back at a better time.

Since Dyson has bene out of the line-up, AJ Price has taken control of the team as their leader on the floor and the source of big baskets when the game is on the line. His growth and maturation in this time has been astounding and he has become the player many expected him to be when he chose UConn as a highly coveted recruit. Also, the shortened rotation as allowed Craig Austrie to become comfortable as the full-time two-guard and that importance was never bigger than when he drove coast to coast after a USF made basket to drill the game winner with 0:00.2 to lift UConn over USF in overtime. Stanley Robinson has also shown growth in this timeframe with consistent touches on offense and playing time.

So, where will Dyson fit back into the mix. When he left, he was the etam's leading scorer and top perimeter defender. He will likely begin in a supplemental role, but the added depth might be the biggest help in the short-term. Getting his legs under him in game situations may take a little time, but he shoudl be at full speed when we hit New York City for the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

For Rutgers, it has not been a very pretty season. The offensively-challenged Scarlet Knights gave fans a glimmer of hope with wins over Villanova and on the road against Pittsburgh in mid-January, but they have not won since. Freshman guards Mike Coburn and Corey Chandler definitely look promising for the future, but their junior class continues to underwhelm in their performance. JR Inman, Jaron Griffin and Anthony Farmer were supposed to take a step forward this season, but inconsistent performances have continued to plague the trio and as a result, the Scarlet Knights struggle offensively nearly every time out. They will be challenged by UConn inside and out as Hasheem Thabeet will make it very difficult to score inside and their inconsistent perimeter touch will make life tough outside.

UConn is a 9.5-pt road favorite and Rutgers will bring a strong effort as everyone likes to take a shot at the Huskies. However, coming off a loss in their last outing and their ability to make scoring tough on opponents inside and out, I do not see RU scoring enough to keep up the pace with UConn for 40 minutes.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Connecticut 71 Rutgers 59

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: RUTGERS @ WEST VIRGINIA

February 14, 2008

Bob Huggins was very critical of his team following a 55-54 loss at Pittsburgh where missed foul shots and defensive assignments saw the Mountaineers let a late lead slip away. The comments questioned the team's toughness and if they were 'winners', and those were the public comments, I wonder what practice was like the last six days as the Season is Pushing Huggins' Patience (Daily Mail). WVU has a chance to get back on track tonight when they host Rutgers at the Coliseum.

Rutgers is tied for last in the Big East and with a tough schedule to finish up league play, the look headed towards another March without a Big East Tournament, making Fred Hill two for two in that category. Their latest setback was a 72-68 loss in overtime to Cincinnati over the weekend. The young Scarlet Knights are inexperienced and lack depth...not a good combination in the Big East, even for more talented rosters.

Here are the local media previews and stories on tonight's game:


Rutgers Trying to Get Over Hump (Charleston Gazette)
Rutgers Playing for the Future (Asbury Park Press)
WVU Men Hope to Bounce Back as they Host Rutgers (Times West Virginian)
Huggins Answers Critical Comments (Times West Virginian)
WVU Offense Slowing Down (Daily Mail)

Summing up their loss at Pitt, Bob Huggins simply said, "Winners make plays." The Mountaineers did not last Thursday as they made just 7-17 free throws and he had his two leading scorers on the bench for much of the game. Alex Ruoff attemtped just two shots from the floor and Joe Alexander was a consistent target of some of Huggins' most stern glares and fiery lectures. Huggins seemed perplexed as players 'refused' to step forward down the stretch and 'didn't listen' to the instructions of the staff.

Also concerning for WVU is the recent offensive slump. The Mountaineers have lost three of their last four games, in those losses (two at home), they have averaged just 50 points a game. A far cry from the team that was putting up big offensive numbers back in November and December. In those losses they have shot just a dreadful 32% (47-149) from the field. The once effecient Mountaineers look to be floundering on offense.

Rutgers is in the midst of a four-game losing streak and have dropped to 2-10 in Big East play. The Scarlet Knights also have trouble scoring points, averaging just 59 points a game in Big East action.

After dropping their first six conference games, the Scarlet Knights showed a spark with wins over Villanova and Pittsburgh (ont he road) with freshman guards Mike Coburn and Corey Chandler leading the way. In their last four, two of the losses have come in overtime, so they are being more competitive. The lone exception was a drubbing at Louisville two weeks ago.

Tonight they should face a highly motivated Mountaineer team looking to get back on track. West Virginia has a favorable schedule down the stretch and kick it off with home games against RU and Seton Hall the next several days. Finding their range on offense will make things much easier. Rutgers does match-up pretty well with West Virginia as they have similar athletes and both are perimeter driven clubs. Rutgers is not deep on the wings or in the backcourt, but they have some size inside.

The Mountaineers are 19-pt favorites, seems to be quite high. I look for WVU to get a win, but the Scarlet Knights shoudl be able to hang around a little bit.

NBE Blogger Prediction: West Virginia 72 Rutgers 59

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CINCINNATI @ RUTGERS

February 9, 2008


It is always interesting to see how a team gets themselves back off the mat. Well, that is the challenge for Rutgers after they were embarrased at home by a short-handed St. John's squad, scoring just 14 points in the first half, during a 52-45 loss on Wednesday night.

Cincinnati has been off a week since losing at home, 75-60, to Marquette. Coach Mick Cronin publicly criticized his team for their poor practices leading up to the game as they were getting too cocky and their play in practice carried over to the game. Now, they are rested and I am sure coach Cronin has reeled them in a bit following their loss last time out.

Rutgers remains a bit of a mystery. Sure, on paper, they definitely look to be a bottom-quarter team in the Big East. However, I have felt they should be competing better than they are. Following a 37-point loss at Louisville with their horrid display on their home floor against Rutgers has me questioning their dedication of several of their players. Their junior trip of Anthony Farmer, Jaron Griffin and JR Inman should, at least, be solid Big East contributers and mixing with promising youngsters Corey Chandler and Mike Coburn, be enough to steal some wins at home and compete much better on the road. Yes, they are not deep and more than not, that will cost them games in the Big East, but the lack of effort in several games has been startling and has to be driving Fred Hill crazy.

For the most part, Cincinnati has been the opposit this season. They have played hard and have played tough. Several players have put aside their dreams of being big time scorers and have bought into the defense and team-first mantra that coach Cronin is selling to them. They have a dynamic scorer, Deonta Vaughn, who is capable of putting up big scoring nights. The rest of the team might not be that talented offensively, and Cronin could shuttle in and out 11 players looking to eek as much offense out of the group as possible to win, but they all will work hard on defense and hit the boards.

The trouble for Cincinnati is finding someone else to score besides Vaughn. He will certainly be the target to stop for Rutgers and if they are wise, they would play a box and one on him and try to see if anyone else is capable of scoring.

The good news for UC, they do have someone capable of scoring while we are not sure if Rutgers does. I know several players have the potential to score and score in this conference, we just are not seeing it.

I really think Rutgers can buckle down and get a win here at the RAC. But, until they show that they want to get their hands dirty and step up and make shots, I am going to say Deonta Vaughn makes just enough to pull out a tough one.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Cincinnati 58 Rutgers 57

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: RUTGERS @ LOUISVILLE

February 2, 2008


Rutgers and Louisville meet for the second time this season as the Cardinals came up with a win earlier this year at the RAC. On Saturday, the Scarlet Knights travel to Freedom Hall as the Cards try to rebound from last Monday's defeat at UConn on Big Monday.

Rutgers is coming off a draining overtime home loss to rival Seton Hall. RU rallied from a 12-pt halftime lead to force overtime, but the Pirates regrouped and outscored Rutgers 17-4 in the extra session.

It is time for Louisville to begin turning things on. They are as healthy as they are likely to get this year with seniors Juan Palacios and David Padgett playing upfront with sophomores Derrick Caracter and Earl Clark. The super-athletic Terrence Williams handles the wing position. Rick Pitino will start pointing this club towards 'March' mode and time to let them run. They still need to get their talented, but inconsistent, backcourt to utilize their talent in the frontcourt. They should not be hoisting up 20 three's in a first half like they did against Connecticut last week, even with the imposing presence of Hasheem Thabeet in the middle.

Rutgers doesn't quite have a Thabeet in the middle, but Hamady D'Diaye and JR Inman form an athletic and big duo with Byron Joynes in the frontcourt. However, that is all they have upfront, so I look for Rick Pitino to implore his troops to sttack the post.

Rutgers improvement of the last few weeks has been led by their freshman guard duo of Corey Chandler and Mike Coburn. Coburn scored 40 points combined in the wins over Pittsburgh and Villanova recently and Chandler looks to be getting over the foot injury that limited him as conference play began. Anthony Farmer and Jaron Griffin round out the regulars for RU, they are not deep, but their backcourt is solid.

Coming off the loss to UConn, I expect the Cards to go on a run of good basketball and that it will start on Saturday. They will still look for their share of three's, but the look inside will be made first and that will open up their game.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Louisville 78 Rutgers 65

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ RUTGERS

January 30, 2008


In this year's version of the Big East, a two game win streak can be considered 'hot'. In this case, the battle of New Jersey features two of the 'hottest' teams in the conference when Rutgers welcomes in-state rival Seton Hall to the RAC.

Local media preview articles:

Rutgers, Seton Hall Begin Turnarounds (Courier News)
RU/SHU Scouting Report (Courier News)
Hall Grows in Gause's Absence (Star-Ledger)
Rutgers/Seton Hall Still a Hot Ticket (Asbury Park Press)

Rutgers enters tonight's game full of surprising momentum after a week that saw them beat Villanova at home and then shock the Big East with a win at Pittsburgh, a win that seemed to shock their own players! Led by freshman guards Michael Coburn and Corey Chandler, with solid post play, especially on the glass and defensively, by Hamady N'Diaye and Byron Joynes, RU stormed past the Panthers on Saturday.

The Scarlet Knights stumbled out of the conference gates by looking completely in disarray, especially on the offensive side of the ball. After dropping thier first five, they were looking pretty hopeless and 0-18 whispers began. However, there is more talent on this team than what was being shown and they showed signs offensively at DePaul before a 2nd half collapse allowed a 2nd half lead slip away. JR Inman is a talented and athletic inside/out forward and Jaron Griffin and Anthony Farmer are also juniors who have logged a lot of Big East time and needed to step up. The freshman pair of Coburn and Chandler hold a lot of promise for the future, but the play of the juniors and the big man duo of N'Diaye and Joynes could determine how tough an out the Scarlet Knights are the rest of the way.

Seton Hall also started off slowly, losing their first three conference games. However, the Pirates have stormed back with aggression, winning four in a row (which matches last year's league total) with impressive wins against Louisville and at Providence included. Senior Brian Laing is consistently putting up big numbers as a do-it-all undersized forward with the heart of a lion and the perimter shooting combo of Jamar Nutter and Jeremy Hazell guarantees someone is on from the outside to help put up points in a hurry. The Pirates fly up and down the court and their ability to score fast and often allows them to rally from nearly any deficit no matter the situation.

Rutgers, who are thin on numbers, would like the game to be played at a slower pace. To force the pace to a speed they prefer, the Pirates will pressure the RU guards to induce quick shots and turnovers, that is where SHU is at their best, creating offense off of their defense. The slower the pace of the game, the less SHU can crank up the pace and use their style to their advantage. However, in a weekend win over Cincinnati, the Pirates showed they can buckle down if they have to.

Usually in this rivalry the home team has the edge. I am not convinced Rutgers is ready to beat a team as equally amped to play the game as they are...yet. You know Bobby Gonzalez will have his Pirates on edge for the game, sometimes that can work against a squad, but with the style of play the Pirates prefer, that is exactly what they need.

The RAC will rock, but in the end, SHU has a little too much offensive talent to get by in this one.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Seton Hall 80 Rutgers 71

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: RUTGERS @ PITTSBURGH

January 26, 2008



There definitely should be a little extra hop in the step of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights when they travel to face Pittsburgh Saturday evening. The Scarlet Knights have struggled mightily offensively this season, but after nearly knocking off DePaul on the road, they returned home and dominated Villanova at the RAC for their first conference victory of the season.

Pittsburgh rebounded from a disappointing loss at Cincinnati by taking St. John's out behind the woodshed of Madison Square Garden during an 81-57 victory. Sam Young continues to make his case for Big East Player of the Year candidacy with 26 points in the victory.

The key for the Panthers seem to be early starts offensively. In their three losses this season, Pitt has struggled to score in the first 8-12 minutes. Although each game was still close through that portion of the game, runs by the opponent later put Pitt in a tough spot. However, those games were on the road, at home the Panthers seem to be a different level of team. Even with Levance Fields out at least another three weeks and Mike Cook gone for the season, Pitt has made their case to be one of the top teams in the Big East. Freshman DeJuan Blair teams with Young to give the Panthers one of the nation's best 1-2 combination in the front court. Young seems to be a bureoning star in the league and is scoring in a variety of ways both inside and out. The senior guard combination of Keith Benjamin and Ronald ramon entered the season expected to play complimentary roles, but have shown to be more than adequate in the Big East. Freshman such as Gilbert Brown, Brad Wanamaker and Gary McGhee are improving with more playing time and junior Tyrell Biggs could likely be the next Panther to step up his game when called on.

Pittsburgh can be tested by teams that pressure on the ball with a deep group of guards or an effective zone that limits Young's ability to penetrate if their perimeter shooting is off. Foul trouble is also a point to watch as the Panthers are thin in numbers (Fields, Cool, Austin Wallace and Cassin Diggs all out with injuries) and foul problems with Blair could be especially damaging.

Rutgers, however, does not look like a team that can challenge the Panthers' vulnerable areas. The Scarlet Knights are down in numbers as well and the recent development of Courtney Nelson being ineligible for the remainder of the season leaves RU extremely thin. Offensively, Byron Joynes and Hamady N'Diaye do not pose much of a threat to get Blair in foul trouble. Rutgers' best player is forward JR Inman who will be directly matched up with Young in what should be an interesting battle. If Inman relaxes mentally on defense, Young could be past him in a blink and drawing fouls as he attacks the rim.

Fred Hill's most talented offensive option is Corey Chandler, however the freshman guard is battling a nagging stress fracture in his foot and facing the tough, physical Pitt defense could mean a long game for him. Mike Coburn, another freshman, and Anthony Farmer had career games against Villanova and will look to carry over that success. Wing Jaron Griffin is a very streaky shooter whose bad streaks seem to outnumber the good streaks, however, if he is on, he can score some points.

For Pittsburgh, the key is likely the first 10 minutes. If they can avoid early fouls on Blair, but the ball in the basket and get a lead, Rutgers could become discouraged quickly on the road, especially in one of the best home court atmospheres in the college game. It is hard to believe a 1-6 team could be looking at a let down, but Rutgers beat Jay Wright, Fred Hill's former boss, in their last game and they have rival Seton Hall up next, so a quick strike from Pitt could take RU out of the game early.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Pittsburgh 77 Rutgers 61

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: VILLANOVA @ RUTGERS

January 23, 2008

Rutgers remains winless in the Big East but they did show some life in a road loss at DePaul over the weekend. Villanova got a cherished road win at Syracuse over the weekend and are positioning themselves favorably in the Big East race.

Here are a couple local media stories on tonight's game:

Rutgers Men's Basketball Readies for Villanova (Asbury Park Press)
Scouting Rutgers & Villanova (Courier News)


If the Big East was to hold form from what we have seen in the first three weeks, Rutgers would win this game. While, I can't really pull the trigger on the Scarlet Knights, they do have a similar make-up as a team to Villanova. However, their talent level is a notch below. for the Scarlet Knights to win, they will have to give their most inspired defensive effort of the season, come up big on the boards and not suffer one of their normal putrid offensive performances.

Villanova seemingly finds someone to step-up from game to game to lead them to victory. Whether it is Malcolm Grant, Antonio Pena, Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher or another player, Jay Wright has a deep team that gives him several different line-up options. He can go big, small or more of a traditional line-up. Quite a difference from his four-guard line-up out of necessity a few years ago.

Rutgers tends to play Villanova very tough at home from time to time. I think they will be fired up tonight and try to parlay some positives from the DePaul game into a more complete performance against the Wildcats. I do think Villanova has too much talent and once they find the right combination in this game, they will exert that talent to get the necessary stops on defense and get the points needed to win on offense. As a 9-pt favorite, Villanova wins, but it should be closer than expected.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Villanova 74 Rutgers 67

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: RUTGERS @ SYRACUSE

January 16, 2008


The young Syracuse Orange return home to meet the offensively challenged Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a Big East match-up at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse dropped a pair of road contests last week, evening their conference mark at 2-2. Rutgers has yet to win in conference action (0-4) and continues to struggle on the offensive end.

Here are the local media previews on tonight's game:

Griffin Shot His Way out of Slump (Courier News)
Rutgers-Syracuse Scouting Report (Courier News)
SU Offense Looks to Get Untracked (Syracuse Post-Standard)


Syracuse is a 17-pt home favorite tonight as the host Rutgers, a team averaging a meager 47.5 PPG in their four conference contests (0-4). How are these for putrid offensive numbers? Rutgers is shooting 33% (70-209) from the floor, 27% (16-60) from the 3-pt arc and 56% (34-61) from the free throw line in their four conference contests. They have also turned the ball over 60 times and has been credited with just 31 assists in conference play.

Leading scorer JR Inman has been coming off the bench for Rutgers in conference play. The reason for the change in the line-up seems to be more than just a ploy to shake things up by coach Fred Hill. Also, excellent freshman guard Corey Chandler has been battling a stress fracture in his foot and it looks like the condition is not going to get better any time soon without extended rest. without being able to practice, Chandler is struggling to find any kind of offensive flow and is 4-29 from the field for a total of 14 points in the three conference games he has played. Without a healthy Chandler, the Rutgers offense has very little potential to imporve any time soon. Junior Jaron Griffin did show some life on Sunday, scoring 23 in a 64-49 loss to Louisville, but he has yet to show any consistency with his shooting touch since arriving at RU.

Syracuse has the opposite issue of Rutgers, the Orange can score with anyone, but they have had a lot of difficulty stopping anyone on the defensive side. They lost a pair of road games last week to Cincinnati (74-66) and West Virginia (81-61) and look to get back home and get back in the win column. Rutgers comes at the perfect time for the young Orange, who have six players in their depleted 8-man rotation playing major 1-A basketball for the first time. Learning the ins and outs of conference play and the increase in the intensity that Big East play brings is an adjustment for the Orange. The young players can not solely rely on their natural talent and ability, but need to be sharper mentally in preparation and their execution.

Syracuse also has few options when things start to go poorly. Jom Boeheim can not afford foul trouble or to sit players for poor decisions, which leads to lazy defense and a slower learning curve for the young team. Tonight, they need to get back to the basics on both ends of the floor with a consistent effort. Donte Greene is a mega-talent offensively, but the team can't get away from getting the ball to Arinze Onuaku in the middle. Syracuse needs to run as their halfcourt offense is not a strength. Rutgers will try to keep the game at a much slower pace than the Orange would like to see, but their shooting woes and inconsistent ball-handling will likely lead to SU getting many break opportunities and players like Paul Harris and Greene finish with the best of them in college basketball.

It would probably be wise for Syracuse to use their man to man press at times to push the tempo when they have the opportunity. If they consistently fall back into the 2-3 zone, the pace could fall into the hands of Rutgers and the Scarlet Knights could find some perimeter shots to their liking, keeping the score closet than anticipated.

I think Syracuse will score quickly and often at times, but Rutgers will creep back into the game once and a while. I think Rutgers will actually break the 50pt barrier, but it wont be nearly enough to win.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Syracuse 77 Rutgers 62

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: RUTGERS @ PROVIDENCE

January 9, 2008



The Big East's version of a cure for your ails is Rutgers and their visit to the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence could not come at a better time for the Friars. After dropping their first two conference match-ups on the road, the offensively challenged Scarlet Knights are a welcome site for PC. Rutgers is also 0-2 in the conference, failing to hit the 50-pt mark in either game.

Here are the local media previes on the game:

PC/RU Preview (Providence Journal)
Rutgers N'Diaye a Formidable Defender (Asbury Park Press)
Providence 'QB' Familiar to Knights (Star-Ledger)
Williams Probable as Friars Chase First League Win (Providence Journal)
Rutgers/PC Scouting Report (Courier News)

The Scarlet Knights sit at the bottom of the Big East in virtually every offensive stat, including points (63.3 per game), field-goal shooting (.396), assists (8.6) and 3-point shooting (.274). Those numbers are actually worse in Big East play as RU is averaging 45.5 PPG, shooting 35% from the floor, 21% from 3-pt range and 29% from the FOUL LINE in two games, losses to Georgetown and at South Florida.

There also has been other factors making things more difficult for Fred Hill's club. First, freshman Corey Chandler has missed several games, and has been limited in Big East play, due to a foot injury. Chandler might be RU's best pure scorer. Also, junior JR Inman, a versatile offensive threat, has been coming off the bench for RU. Reasons for his demotion from the starting line-up have been a bit murky, but there seems to be a little bit of a tug of war going on with the staff and players.

Rutgers still will compete and they will work hard on the defensive end. They hope to keep the game as a low scoring affair and 'ugly' it up by pressuring shots and collecting their share of rebounds.

Scoring is not usually the problem for the Friars, but stopping their opponent has been a missing ingredient for PC the last several years and despite an added concentration to defensive effort this year, it continues. However, the injury bug that has spread through a lot of the conference has also hit PC hard, taking their top two point guards out of the line-up as Sharaud Curry and Dwain Williams have been out of the line-up. Curry is still not even ready to practice, but the news on Williams is better and he is likely to play tonight.

With Williams an adequate point guard, players like Brian McKenzie, Jeff Xavier and Weyinmi Efejuku can concentrate on scoring points, not also playing the role of distributor. The Friars also boast hard-nosed and versatile Geoff McDermott and a true point guard will look to take advantage of his talents and also involve Randall Hanke more in the offense, putting him in position to score.

Inconsistent guard play also leads to defensive breakdowns as the opponent is finding more break and transition opportunities. Defensively and in the post is always going to be an uphill battle for PC, but the defensive effrt is something that most likely will improve as the team gets closer to full strength and cohesive.

The Friars come into the game tonight as a 14-pt favorite and they should take advanatage of the opportunity Rutgers provides to get well.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Providence 75 Rutgers 58

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: GEORGETOWN @ RUTGERS

January 5, 2008



The Big East's preseason favorite, Georgetown, will begin defense of their conference crown on Saturday as they travel to New Jersey to face Rutgers, at the RAC. Rutgers dropped their league opening contest on the road to South Florida, 68-45, Wednesday night.

Things are not going very well right now for Fred Hill Jr and his Rutgers squad. Not only were they drubbed by South Florida, who was picked 16th in the league by the coaches, but they have been without freshman Corey Chandler and his 14 PPG for a few weeks now. On Wednesday night, their other top player, JR Inman, was not in the starting line-up. I know coach Hill says it was a coaches decision, but there has to be more behind it, maybe a message was being sent and a fresh start is ahead.

The status of Chandler is still unknown, this was the game he was targeting to return, but they hoped he would be available for some time on Wednesday. Without Chandler and with Inman in and out of the line-up, Rutgers goes from a below-average offensive team to, well, not a good one at all. Against USF they shot 39% from the field with just 6 team assists in the contest. They also shot 2-16 from the arc and 1-8 from the foul line...YUCK!

On the other hand, Georgetown is one of the most effecient offensive machines in the nation. Although they have been lightly challenged this season until a date at Memphis where they were handles easily by the Tigers, look for Georgetown to flex their muscles on the road and let the rest of the league know they are serious about defending their crown.

The Hoyas will play nine-deep and it is an impressive group. Seniors Jonathan Wallace and Roy Hibbert, the conference's pre-season player of the year, are joined by sophomore, and leading soorer, DaJuan Summers and junior Jesse Sapp as returning starters from last year's squad. Other key contributors return such as Jeremiah Rivers, Pat Ewing Jr and Vernon Macklin. What makes this squad even more dangerous offensively is the addition of a pair of McDonald All-Americans in the backcourt, Chris Wright and Austin Freeman, who come off the bench.

I think Rutgers will play hard and scrap for a while, but over the course of 40 minutes, too many offensive droughts will catch up with them and Georgetown will go about business as usual and pull away consistently.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 78 Rutgers 59

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: RUTGERS @ SOUTH FLORIDA

January 2, 2008


Scarlet Knights Need to Make Right Choices (Asbury Park Press)
Big East Slate Begins in Earnest for Rutgers (Courier News)
Rutgers-USF Scouting Report (Courier News)


Are you ready for this? The South Florida Bulls are an 11.5-pt favorite in a Big East contest! The Bulls, winners of nine of their last 10 games, open Big East play tonight when they welcome Rutgers to the Sun Dome.

We all know Rutgers struggles away from home, and the prospect of playing with a limited, if at all, Corey Chandler, the hopes for the Scarlet Knights definitely looks bleak.

This year, under new coach Stan Heath, USF is deeper and more talented than the editions of the last two seasons. They will once again be anchored in the middle by Kentrell Gransberry. The mountain in the middle averages 14 PPG and 11 rebounds and should find things pretty much to his liking against a thin Rutgers front-line. Byron Joynes will try to body up Gransberry and Hamady N'Diaye will try to use his length and athletic ability, but if Gransberry clogs the lane and catches the ball in deep, he should have his way inside.

However, that is not the only weapon of the Bulls this season. Freshman Dominique Jones has been impressive filling the basket as the Bulls leading scorer with nearly 16 PPG. USF also has a solid, true point guard in Chris Howard who continues to improve and the wing scoring is deeper with former Arizona transfer Jesus Verdejo finding his comfort zone and Florida State transfer Aaron Holmes getting up to speed. Like RU, the Bulls are thin in the frontline after Gransberry, but they definitely have more offensive options this year, playing at home against an offensively challenged opponent, that bodes well for their chances.

Rutgers is led by junior JR Inman and they will need the 6'9 forward to carry them offensively. The versatile threat is averaging 16 PPG and 8 rebounds and the Bulls really do not have a candidate to slow him down. However, who else will score for Rutgers? With Chandler out of the line-up, Jaron Griffin tried to ick up the slack, but shot just 6-17 (0-8 on 3's) in a loss to Rider (61-57) and 1-7 against Manhattan (73-67 win).

Anthony Farmer did become more offensive minded, scoring 34 points in their last two contests and has slid over to the scoring guard role while freshman Mike Coburn has run the team with Courtney Nelson. The pair went scoreless (0-10 from the floor) in the loss to Rider. The uncertainty and inconsistencies on offense will make it very difficult to win on the road.

As mentioned, the Bulls are an 11.5-pt favorite. This might be a team that is also slightly under the radar while Rutgers still has a ways to go to find themselves, especially in the wake of Chandler's injury.

NBE Blogger Prediction: South Florida 75 Rutgers 59

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