1--The intensity from The Hall was good to see. No, it’s not good to pick up three technical fouls, including two as part of double Ts. But still, there are positives to seeing Mike Nzei (who got one of the double Ts) and Sandro Mamukelashvili getting demonstrative. Both of them are known for being level-headed on the court, and that’s a good thing. But it’s also nice to see them get angry once in awhile, within reason, of course. (I still am of the opinion that former Pirate Pat Auda might have been an even better player if he'd had more of a mean streak.)
Mamukelashvili (15 points, nine rebounds, 3-for-4 from the arc) was The Hall’s second-best player on this day behind Myles Powell and his heroics. Coach Kevin Willard worked with Mamukelashvili on his release point during the week, and it certainly paid off.
2--Willard coached a good game. Romaro Gill, who had only a 1.5-second cameo the week before against Kentucky (guarding the fateful inbounds pass), played 12 minutes and had five blocked shots. Willard said he liked the matchup of Gill with Rutgers’ big men, and Gill’s intimidation helped result in the Scarlet Knights shooting only 31.6 percent despite being plus-17 on the offensive glass. Willard indicated that while those numbers obviously weren’t good, the Pirates won’t see many teams in the Big East with as much height.
3--Powell showed his stamina. The guy who used to be known as Cheese when he first got to campus because he wasn’t in optimum shape, played 37 minutes and didn’t wear down despite Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell throwing multiple defenders at him. Pikiell took a different tack than Louisville coach Chris Mack, who used junk defenses to confuse The Hall on offense. Pikiell, not a devotee of weird defenses, wanted to tire out Powell, running at least four different players at him at different junctions.
Powell did a nice job of moving without the ball to get himself free for Nzei’s kickout late in the game and then drained a dagger three for a 64-58 lead. Powell obviously is The Hall’s most indispensable player. He is averaging 35.9 minutes and that number doesn’t figure to go down very much anytime soon. Willard will manage his minutes the same way he has done for other players in the past (Jordan Theodore, for instance) by trying to rest Powell before TV timeouts.
4--Tough day for Thompson. A week after having a solid game against Kentucky, Taurean Thompson played only 6:09 minutes. He picked up two of his three fouls at the same time when he was T’ed up after committing a foul. Thompson got the technical because he slapped the ball away, apparently feeling he had been provoked by a Rutgers player. Of course, officials almost always are going to catch the player who retaliates as opposed to the initial offender, and that’s something Thompson needs to be more aware of. The riddle of Thompson continues, and The Hall seems no closer to solving it over a month into the season.
5--Pete Kiss was Rutgers’ best player Saturday. He scored 16 points in 22 minutes and was plus-9. As I wrote previewing the game, he plays with an edge and is the kind of player that gets under the skin of opponents and opponents’ fans. But if you put aside some of the antics, you can see the talent. His leaping interception and contested finish in the second half was highlight-reel worthy, and if he had gotten a longer run Saturday, the game might have been in doubt in the final minute. Granted, Pikiell likely was understandably worried about how he would fare defensively against Seton Hall’s quick guards. Still, the sophomore transfer from Quinnipiac is a potential thorn in Seton Hall’s side the next two meetings.
COMMENTS
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
Mamukelashvili (15 points, nine rebounds, 3-for-4 from the arc) was The Hall’s second-best player on this day behind Myles Powell and his heroics. Coach Kevin Willard worked with Mamukelashvili on his release point during the week, and it certainly paid off.
2--Willard coached a good game. Romaro Gill, who had only a 1.5-second cameo the week before against Kentucky (guarding the fateful inbounds pass), played 12 minutes and had five blocked shots. Willard said he liked the matchup of Gill with Rutgers’ big men, and Gill’s intimidation helped result in the Scarlet Knights shooting only 31.6 percent despite being plus-17 on the offensive glass. Willard indicated that while those numbers obviously weren’t good, the Pirates won’t see many teams in the Big East with as much height.
3--Powell showed his stamina. The guy who used to be known as Cheese when he first got to campus because he wasn’t in optimum shape, played 37 minutes and didn’t wear down despite Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell throwing multiple defenders at him. Pikiell took a different tack than Louisville coach Chris Mack, who used junk defenses to confuse The Hall on offense. Pikiell, not a devotee of weird defenses, wanted to tire out Powell, running at least four different players at him at different junctions.
Powell did a nice job of moving without the ball to get himself free for Nzei’s kickout late in the game and then drained a dagger three for a 64-58 lead. Powell obviously is The Hall’s most indispensable player. He is averaging 35.9 minutes and that number doesn’t figure to go down very much anytime soon. Willard will manage his minutes the same way he has done for other players in the past (Jordan Theodore, for instance) by trying to rest Powell before TV timeouts.
4--Tough day for Thompson. A week after having a solid game against Kentucky, Taurean Thompson played only 6:09 minutes. He picked up two of his three fouls at the same time when he was T’ed up after committing a foul. Thompson got the technical because he slapped the ball away, apparently feeling he had been provoked by a Rutgers player. Of course, officials almost always are going to catch the player who retaliates as opposed to the initial offender, and that’s something Thompson needs to be more aware of. The riddle of Thompson continues, and The Hall seems no closer to solving it over a month into the season.
5--Pete Kiss was Rutgers’ best player Saturday. He scored 16 points in 22 minutes and was plus-9. As I wrote previewing the game, he plays with an edge and is the kind of player that gets under the skin of opponents and opponents’ fans. But if you put aside some of the antics, you can see the talent. His leaping interception and contested finish in the second half was highlight-reel worthy, and if he had gotten a longer run Saturday, the game might have been in doubt in the final minute. Granted, Pikiell likely was understandably worried about how he would fare defensively against Seton Hall’s quick guards. Still, the sophomore transfer from Quinnipiac is a potential thorn in Seton Hall’s side the next two meetings.
COMMENTS
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
