Rutgers basketball just lost their first Big Ten game against Ohio State 80-66 in a game where the defensive schemes let Ohio State do pretty much whatever they wanted. The Buckeyes made 55% of their shots on the night, including surrendering 46 points in the paint.
This disaster on defense has become a trend for Rutgers, going all the way back to the team’s game against Monmouth. In that game, Rutgers nearly gave up 40 points to Abdi Bashir Jr. who hasn’t hit near that number again despite playing in a weaker conference. Since then, Rutgers has surrendered 79 or more points in 5 out of their last 6 games. They are 2-4 over that stretch.
So that begs the question, why has the defense been so poor? Pikiell is a very defensive minded head coach, and even last year, they won what games they did on the back of their defense. So what changed?
There is no clear answer but there is something going on that’s interesting to take note of. The transitions of the man coverage defense do not seem to be as fluid as in years past. Too many times have we seen the Knights scrambling to cover an uncontested shot or leave a lane to the basket right in the middle of the court. This could be something that fades away with time but no doubt it’s a concern now.
Either way, Rutgers needs to find a way to fix their defensive scheme for rivalry week and as they head further into Big Ten play. With a few days off and a return to home court for the first time in a while, it will be interesting to see if any changes to this trend are made.
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