This might be JP's best work to date.......
Over the course of the Seton Hall-Rutgers rivalry in the past 20 or so years, the strange, outrageous and absurd pretty much has become the norm. Phantom officials’ calls, physical skirmishes and incredible finishes have abounded. So the winner of Saturday’s game at The Rock won’t necessarily be the most talented team of the two, but the one that manages to navigate all the potential obstacles, especially late in the game. Here are my five keys to the game:
1--Myles Powell must be Myles Powell. Down the stretch in regulation against Kentucky last Saturday, the junior guard showed his terrific talent and tenacity, and demonstrated why opponents are focused on him. His three-point barrage would’ve won the game in regulation if not for a miracle shot by Kentucky that forced overtime. Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell and his longtime right-hand man, assistant Jay Young, are defensive savants and likely will cook up something esoteric to try to defend the sharpshooting Powell.
While speaking to the media Thursday, Pikiell was asked about his plans for guarding Powell. Not surprisingly, he didn’t show reporters his Xs and Os, but he did say this about defending Powell, “(You’ve) gotta have some tricks up your sleeve, too. We may have some of those.” Count on it. Pikiell might throw some junk defenses at Powell, as did Louisville coach Chris Mack two weeks ago. The sooner that Powell, coach Kevin Willard and starting point guard Quincy McKnight get a handle on what Rutgers is doing, the sooner they will be able to adjust. And then it will be up to Pikiell and his players to adjust to those Seton Hall adjustments. Rutgers’ interior defense is suspect, so maybe The Hall can go inside to loosen things up for Powell.
2--Stop Geo Baker. For The Hall, priority No. 1 on defense will be to contain second-year guard Baker, who leads the Scarlet Knights in points (14.6) and assists (4.6). Two weeks ago, Michigan State had the 6-5 Joshua Langford shadow the 6-4 Baker so that MSU point guard Cassius Winston could concentrate on his offense. Baker got into early foul trouble and never got into a groove in a 78-67 Rutgers defeat. In fact, although Baker is shooting an impressive 41.8 percent from three-point land, he is averaging 36.4 percent from long distance against power-conference teams. He also is averaging 12 points and 3.8 assists in those four games, all somewhat below his season norms.
It will be interesting to see how Willard and his staff choose to defend Baker. It’s likely they won’t put Powell on him so as not to wear Powell out on defense.
3--Peter Kiss is Rutgers’ X-Factor. Sophomore transfer guard Peter Kiss, formerly of Quinnipiac, performed reasonably well in Rutgers’ recent three-game stretch against power teams Miami, Michigan State and Wisconsin, averaging 11.7 points and shooting a respectable 35 percent from long distance. But he threw in a clunker at lowly Fordham last Saturday, scoring four points in 29 minutes. He was 2-for-9 overall and 0-for-3 on treys.
Kiss, who sometimes can be exploited on the defensive end, is huge for Rutgers because of his talent and his outsized on-court personality. If he gets it going from three-point range, he can galvanize his teammates and the Rutgers fan contingent that surely will be on hand at the Prudential Center. He is the kind of player that his fans love and opposing fans despise, and The Hall must keep him from going off.
4--Teams headed in opposite directions? One game in December doesn’t make a season for either team, or any team, for that matter. But it is worth noting the stark contrast in the teams’ results last weekend. Rutgers is looking for redemption after losing at Fordham, while The Hall is on the highest high after its come from behind win over powerful Kentucky at Madison Square Garden. The Pirates cannot afford to be complacent against a rival that will come to Newark with a proverbial chip on its shoulder, and cannot afford to take this team lightly. The Scarlet Knights beat Miami on the road (as did The Hall on a neutral) and gave Wisconsin fits in a five-point loss in Madison.
Again, cliches usually are true in such games, as one can throw out the records. Just ask the 2017-18 veteran-laden Seton Hall team, which somehow blew a nine-point lead in the final six minutes at the RAC last season, being outscored 17-2 down the stretch in a 71-65 loss. That Pirates team was headed to its third consecutive NCAA tourney appearance, while Rutgers was en route to its 27th straight non-NCAA tournament season. But for those six minutes, that didn’t matter.
5--Keep your poise. One of the things Pikiell said Thursday certainly applies to both combatants. “You have to be poised,” he stated. “You have to execute. Emotion is great and all that, if it’s used the right way and bottled the right way.”
In other words, as noted before, don’t get caught up in the moment and the trash-talking and the posturing. Intensity is a hallmark of this series, and The Hall has to stay the course no matter what happens.
It’s instructive to note that even a senior-laden Seton Hall team lost its poise down the stretch last season, and now numerous players (McKnight, Taurean Thompson, et al) will be getting their first taste of the Garden State rivalry. Even Sandro Mamukelashvili only played six minutes in the game last season, picking up three fouls in that brief span. As Pikiell indicated, channeling emotions correctly will go a long way toward hoisting the trophy afterward.
COMMENTS
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
Over the course of the Seton Hall-Rutgers rivalry in the past 20 or so years, the strange, outrageous and absurd pretty much has become the norm. Phantom officials’ calls, physical skirmishes and incredible finishes have abounded. So the winner of Saturday’s game at The Rock won’t necessarily be the most talented team of the two, but the one that manages to navigate all the potential obstacles, especially late in the game. Here are my five keys to the game:
1--Myles Powell must be Myles Powell. Down the stretch in regulation against Kentucky last Saturday, the junior guard showed his terrific talent and tenacity, and demonstrated why opponents are focused on him. His three-point barrage would’ve won the game in regulation if not for a miracle shot by Kentucky that forced overtime. Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell and his longtime right-hand man, assistant Jay Young, are defensive savants and likely will cook up something esoteric to try to defend the sharpshooting Powell.
While speaking to the media Thursday, Pikiell was asked about his plans for guarding Powell. Not surprisingly, he didn’t show reporters his Xs and Os, but he did say this about defending Powell, “(You’ve) gotta have some tricks up your sleeve, too. We may have some of those.” Count on it. Pikiell might throw some junk defenses at Powell, as did Louisville coach Chris Mack two weeks ago. The sooner that Powell, coach Kevin Willard and starting point guard Quincy McKnight get a handle on what Rutgers is doing, the sooner they will be able to adjust. And then it will be up to Pikiell and his players to adjust to those Seton Hall adjustments. Rutgers’ interior defense is suspect, so maybe The Hall can go inside to loosen things up for Powell.
2--Stop Geo Baker. For The Hall, priority No. 1 on defense will be to contain second-year guard Baker, who leads the Scarlet Knights in points (14.6) and assists (4.6). Two weeks ago, Michigan State had the 6-5 Joshua Langford shadow the 6-4 Baker so that MSU point guard Cassius Winston could concentrate on his offense. Baker got into early foul trouble and never got into a groove in a 78-67 Rutgers defeat. In fact, although Baker is shooting an impressive 41.8 percent from three-point land, he is averaging 36.4 percent from long distance against power-conference teams. He also is averaging 12 points and 3.8 assists in those four games, all somewhat below his season norms.
It will be interesting to see how Willard and his staff choose to defend Baker. It’s likely they won’t put Powell on him so as not to wear Powell out on defense.
3--Peter Kiss is Rutgers’ X-Factor. Sophomore transfer guard Peter Kiss, formerly of Quinnipiac, performed reasonably well in Rutgers’ recent three-game stretch against power teams Miami, Michigan State and Wisconsin, averaging 11.7 points and shooting a respectable 35 percent from long distance. But he threw in a clunker at lowly Fordham last Saturday, scoring four points in 29 minutes. He was 2-for-9 overall and 0-for-3 on treys.
Kiss, who sometimes can be exploited on the defensive end, is huge for Rutgers because of his talent and his outsized on-court personality. If he gets it going from three-point range, he can galvanize his teammates and the Rutgers fan contingent that surely will be on hand at the Prudential Center. He is the kind of player that his fans love and opposing fans despise, and The Hall must keep him from going off.
4--Teams headed in opposite directions? One game in December doesn’t make a season for either team, or any team, for that matter. But it is worth noting the stark contrast in the teams’ results last weekend. Rutgers is looking for redemption after losing at Fordham, while The Hall is on the highest high after its come from behind win over powerful Kentucky at Madison Square Garden. The Pirates cannot afford to be complacent against a rival that will come to Newark with a proverbial chip on its shoulder, and cannot afford to take this team lightly. The Scarlet Knights beat Miami on the road (as did The Hall on a neutral) and gave Wisconsin fits in a five-point loss in Madison.
Again, cliches usually are true in such games, as one can throw out the records. Just ask the 2017-18 veteran-laden Seton Hall team, which somehow blew a nine-point lead in the final six minutes at the RAC last season, being outscored 17-2 down the stretch in a 71-65 loss. That Pirates team was headed to its third consecutive NCAA tourney appearance, while Rutgers was en route to its 27th straight non-NCAA tournament season. But for those six minutes, that didn’t matter.
5--Keep your poise. One of the things Pikiell said Thursday certainly applies to both combatants. “You have to be poised,” he stated. “You have to execute. Emotion is great and all that, if it’s used the right way and bottled the right way.”
In other words, as noted before, don’t get caught up in the moment and the trash-talking and the posturing. Intensity is a hallmark of this series, and The Hall has to stay the course no matter what happens.
It’s instructive to note that even a senior-laden Seton Hall team lost its poise down the stretch last season, and now numerous players (McKnight, Taurean Thompson, et al) will be getting their first taste of the Garden State rivalry. Even Sandro Mamukelashvili only played six minutes in the game last season, picking up three fouls in that brief span. As Pikiell indicated, channeling emotions correctly will go a long way toward hoisting the trophy afterward.
COMMENTS
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
