3 keys for Seton Hall Basketball to win against arch-rival Rutgers

Al-Amir Dawes needs to rebound

This Pirate team is led by their two-star guards, Al-Amir Dawes, and Kadary Richmond. Dawes being a shooter and crafty scorer, is relied upon to be a spark plug when this team needs a bucket, but that ability was not present against the Baylor Bears.

Dawes did not make a single field goal against Baylor, and that made it impossible for this offense to get going. If there is a game for a player like him to rebound, it is against your arch rival, clutch volume shooters show up in these moments.

The former Clemson transfer also gets the benefit of playing at home, he shoots much better in the Prudential Center than in road contests, and this was proven against Northeastern. Dawes led the Pirates in scoring with 25 points off 8-14 shooting, which Seton Hall needed in order to keep their foot on the gas in that one.

The Rutgers game is always one that comes down to clutch shots at the end, or even to who has the ball last, so having your top shooter hot will keep this team at an advantage. Dawes’ shooting ability also takes the pressure off of players like Richmond and Dre Davis, and with Rutgers having some solid defenders for those guys, finding Dawes open looks is a necessity.

Dawes being a New Jersey native, and having won this game before, he understands the importance of this rivalry for both these schools. Now it is up to him to lead this team, and knock down shots to give this team a three-game winning streak against Rutgers.