Five key things Steve Pikiell said following win over BU

Rutgers men’s basketball won its home opener on Friday in a 69-45 win over BU. Head coach Steve Pikiell gave several quotes that I thought jumped off the page to reveal potential reasons for hope as well as immediate concern. Here are the key things he said and my takeaways from them.

Changing the starting lineup

Pikiell: “I liked the way everyone responded. Princeton was really good, but I was really disappointed in our ability to rebound, and [Antwone] Woolfolk has been our best rebounder. I thought we would give him a chance, and obviously, we rebounded much better. We were a lot more physical today, but we’re still going to give everybody a chance. We have a lot of guys that deserve to start, and we will have Mawot [Mag] back, who started every game last year too. I never put a huge focus on starting lineups. The guys that play well play a lot of minutes, and again I liked the way we responded to a tough couple of days. We had some good prep and we have to do the same thing. Bryant is talented and we have one day to prepare for them.”

Takeaway: Pikiell made a rare switch this early in the season. Derek Simpson and Gavin Griffiths were on the bench and Austin Williams and Antwone Woolfolk replaced them in the starting lineup. It worked as Woolfolk led Rutgers with 8 rebounds and he played poise. Williams was all over the floor giving this team energy and hustle. Griffiths responded with a game high 25 points in an impressive home debut. Simpson was much better in helping the offense flow instead of forcing his own shot. Pikiell harps on the competition aspect within the roster here. I think it’s a positive that will help this team’s development all season.

Rebounding

Pikiell: “That is the great part of our team.  Everyone has the ability to rebound.  We have good athletes and our guards need to stick their nose in there too and take care of the backboards.  It isn’t just Cliff’s job or Wolf’s job.  Everyone put bodies on people tonight.  Noah dug out some long rebounds.  Austin got 4 rebounds so everyone chipped in.  Gavin got 4 too to go along with his great 25 points.  It is a team thing and when we focus on that we get rebounds and we have been the last two days and we need to continue because Bryant can rebound too.”

Takeaway: After having a -4 rebounding margin against Princeton, Rutgers had a +20 rebounding margin against BU. Different competition level but still encouraging. I think as much as it’s important for individual players to learn their roles is, it’s also important for the team to establish its identity. Pikiell tends to stress the importance of defense but rebounding is a big part of that. Especially for a team that needs to score and can profit on the offensive glass potentially.

Cliff and Wolf

Pikiell: “We outrebounded them and that was a big part of it.  That helped us and they have to keep having great chemistry together.  They have a unique opportunity to be two really good low post guys.  We didn’t handle the double teams well tonight and we have been handling the double teams well in practice.  We have to keep playing those guys together at the same time and continue to evolve that rotation.”

Takeaway: Rutgers planned on playing Cliff and Wolf together all off-season and it’s an intriguing tandem in the paint. Wolf is much improved and he can help shoulder the load for Cliff on both ends of the floor. Once Mag returns the trio will cause matchup problems to many Big Ten opponents. It will take time for Omoruyi and Woolfolk to learn how to play off each other but last night showed its promise, especially on the defensive end.

Austin Williams

Pikiell: “Austin is very unique as we are learning about him.  He can really get down hill and get to the rim.  He is really strong and can guard multiple positions. He hasn’t played a basketball game in 600 days so it has been a long layoff for him.  He needs to bring that energy and that physically and as he continues to learn what we need from him on the court he is going to have a great second half.”

Takeaway: Even though he’s only 6’4”, Williams plays bigger and is very physical. He can defend multiple positions and has been good in not trying to do too much offensively. Williams showed his willingness to dive for loose balls and do the little things needed to win on Friday. He’s a steady veteran presence and will be a key rotational piece this season. Williams has been a solid addition so far.

Health

Pikiell: “He (Cliff Omoruyi) is in the room right now.  Austin Willaims was banged up too and Antwone Woolfolk was banged up too. I hope they are alright but they have to heal quickly because we have a game in 48 hours.”

Takeaway: The clearest path to a disappointing season is Rutgers having injury issues throughout the winter that they can’t overcome. They have several players either working their way back or healthy but having missed a lot of time last season. Depth is improved but you still need to have most of your rotation available this early in the season. Bryant is on Sunday and Rutgers needs to avoid a potential landmine loss. It doesn’t sound like any of the three players are dealing with anythinf serious.  That being said the wear and tear of the season is a long haul and the health of this team will be a huge factor in how much success they can ultimately have.