Reaction win Rutgers’ 85-63 win over Howard & 4-1 start to season

Rutgers men’s basketball defeated Howard 85-63 on Saturday night to improve to 4-1 on the season. Derek Simpson had a career high 23 points on 7 of 10 shooting from the floor. The Scarlet Knights dominated in the paint and in transition while forcing 21 turnovers. Cliff Omoruyi had 15 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals and 2 assists. Six different players had multiple assists in the game.

“I’ve been waiting for us. I really think this is an 80 point team,” Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said. “I was thankful that they got to that number tonight because we’ve really been missing some shots in other games that we could have made. We’re starting to gel together. I mean, this was a five game stretch. I think we learned a lot about each other and now we have a week to improve and get better. We can figure out our rotation and get better in those areas too. But it starts with good leaders. Aundre, Cliff, Oskar, Mawot. Noah has done a good job too. Our practices have been very good. We need to keep that up and  it shows a mature team. I still think our best basketball is ahead of us too.”

Here is my reaction to the victory as well as the 4-1 start for Rutgers. Topics include improved guard play, offensive development, improved depth, return of injuries to improve rotation, Bryant’s big win and much more. Listen and watch below.