Rutgers Basketball: 2019-20 takeaways from loss to Michigan

Rutgers Basketball played under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden and lost to a hot-shooting Michigan squad. Here are some takeaways from the game.

Rutgers Basketball, (16-6, 7-4) has never beaten the University of Michigan. Many people including myself, thought that last night was the night the losing streak would end. After all, the #25 Scarlet Knights are off to their best start in Big Ten play since they joined the conference and they have made their living by playing stout defense.

All of Rutgers’ conference wins have come at the Rutgers Athletic Center. Madison Square Garden is a mere 38 miles away and Scarlet Knights’ fans packed the Garden, but unlike the RAC, the crowd couldn’t will their team to victory. Why?

First, Michigan used crisp ball movement and pinpoint passing to disrupt the Knights’ defensive length. Michigan Point Guard Zavier Simpson racked up ten assists on a night he was one point shy of a double-double. At least half of those assists came from feeding pick-and-rolls for easy points-in-the-paint to center John Teske and his backup Austin Davis. The Michigan passing attack also sparked a three-point onslaught.

Second, Brandon Johns, Jr. and Eli Brooks lit it up from beyond the arc draining 53.8 percent, (7-13). Excellent perimeter and inside-out ball movement freed up Johns, Jr., and Brooks near the baseline wing and they made Rutgers pay over and over. The Knights couldn’t get to the shooter fast enough to contest the shot. The rest of the Wolverines got in on the act and as a team, shot 47.4 percent from beyond the arc. In my game preview, I pointed out that during Michigan’s 1-4 conference record over the last five games, they had a horrid 28.2 three-point field goal percentage. I think Michigan found the answer, at least for this game.

Finally, the disparity in free-throw attempts limited Rutgers and enabled Michigan. Rutgers had five free-throw attempts all game. Whenever a Knight tried to drive the lane and attack the rim, Michigan collapsed their defense and contested the shot. Four starters not named John Teske had one block, while Teske had two.

And Michigan didn’t foul their opponent while Rutgers fouled Michigan… a lot. As a team, Rutgers committed twenty-one fouls to Michigan’s twelve. This allowed Michigan to score 16 points from free-throws compared to Rutgers’ three points. Rutgers only lost the game by six points.

Rutgers only has three home games left this season. The Scarlet Knights are going to have to find a way to win away from home, which is an extremely tough feat in the Big Ten. In order to acquire road wins, Rutgers will need Ron Harper Jr. and Geo Baker to contribute more offense than the three points each they had last night. One bright spot I see on this roster is Jacob Young. The 6-2 speedy junior provided a spark off the bench and contributed ten points to the total. Rutgers plays Maryland in College Park on Tuesday, February 4 at 7 pm. The game will be broadcast on FS1.