NCAA Basketball: Overall takeaways from 2020 ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Rutgers Scarlet Knights – Credit to ALL the guards for stepping up

With last year’s second-leading scorer and top passer Geo Baker still out with an injury, Ron Harper Jr. has been tremendous. He scored a game-high 26 points on 9-13 shooting to lead the team to a big resume-building victory. Harper is averaging over 22 ppg in the first four games and is looking like a first-team All-Big Ten player.

But let’s not overlook what upperclassmen starter guards Montez Mathis and Jacob Young are doing as well. Both are averaging over 16 ppg in their own right including combining for 37 points in the Syracuse win. Young has become the team’s lead facilitator and can share the duties once Baker comes back. Thanks to the stellar play of the backcourt, he can take his time.

Syracuse Orange – Sidibe absence more important than Buddy right now

The Orange played this game without a pair of starters, as Buddy Boeheim and Bourama Sidibe were both out. Boeheim (covid protocols), will be back in a couple of days for the team, while Sidibe has a leg injury that’ll keep him out until January at the earliest. For a team that’s not known for having much depth to being with, that forces the starting five to play over 90% of the game’s minutes.

Had Joe Girard not go 1-8 from the field, Syracuse may have won this game. But it was important to note that they were out-rebounded by 16 to the Scarlet Knights, who use four-guard lineups themselves. Their interior defense wasn’t the same either and with ACC play coming up, could really exploit not having Sidibe. Illinois transfer Alan Griffin and starting forward Marek Dolezaj will be crucial in his absence.