Stay Out Of The Deep End
Rutgers shot a respectable 44% against Michigan in the contest. The issue was that the Scarlet Knights struggled from three. Rutgers shot 3-18 from deep, good for 17% for the game.
The scoring load for RU was carried by Mike Williams (17 points) and Corey Sanders (15 points). Sanders also led the Scarlet Knights in both rebounds (7) and assists (5). Williams and Sanders would combine for 25 of the 50 RU shot attempts against the Wolverines.
The two RU scoring leaders would combine to go 2-11 from deep, as the rest of the team finished 1-7.
Hanging Around
Rutgers would hang around thanks to their ability to match Michigan on the glass. Although rebounding had been a major issue for the Scarlet Knights in previous contests; they would finish this one +1...out-rebounding Michigan 30-29.
While RU never led in the contest, and it never really seemed as if they would take control; they managed to prevent the contest from turning into a 20 plus point blowout. At this point you'll have to take this as a moral victory as a Rutgers fan.
How Long Is This Tunnel?
Do you see any light? At worst there's a candle flickering. Corey Sanders is a legit talent and he continues to make plays while putting up solid numbers. There are Freshman mistakes that pop up constantly, but guess what...he's a Freshman.
Mike Williams shooting well (from two) in this one is a positive sign. If Rutgers is going to steal a Big Ten win, they're going to need either him, Sanders, or Grier (or all three) to light it up from deep one game. I'm talking a combined 10-15, or something along those lines.
The Big Ten is loaded with size, and size that's talented. Even if Rutgers had their bigs healthy it'd be tough sledding in the conference.
There's no answer here. They could run and gun, bombing away from deep; making the team a little more entertaining to watch. The issue there is that if they shoot poorly (very possible) their transition defense has been lacking to the point where it could lead to 30 plus point losses.
If Williams and Sanders can build on tonight, and someone else joins the party; Rutgers should be able to steal a Big Ten game somewhere on their schedule.
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