Keys to the Game: Penn State at Rutgers (March 6, 2022)

 

(photo courtesy of Rutgers Athletics)

Penn State (12-15; 7-12) at Rutgers (17-12; 11-8)

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights will host the Penn State Nittany Lions at The RAC on Sunday, March 6th (12 PM ET, BTN) in what appears to be its most important game of the regular season. The Scarlet Knights have a lot to play for on Sunday, including a possible at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament; seeding in the Big Ten tournament; and for Baker, Harper, and McConnell to win one last time at The RAC. It is going to be a day full of emotion as Geo Baker, Ron Harper Jr., and Caleb McConnell will play at The RAC one last time. This trio has had incredible careers at Rutgers, and nothing would be more suitable than to beat Penn State and cement a berth into the NCAA Tournament. 

If all goes to plan, and the Scarlet Knights win, they would finish with a conference record of 12-8, which would be their best finish since joining the Big Ten. There is potential for Rutgers to finish fourth place in the conference, but Rutgers can finish no worse than sixth. Before the season started, analysts and writers in college basketball projected Rutgers to finish in eighth place. 

Tomorrow's game is an absolute must-win for the Scarlet Knights because they have to avoid a Q3 loss, which would seriously damage their chances of making the NCAA Tournament. Micah Shrewsbury will have his players ready to battle tomorrow, and he hopes to spoil the Scarlet Knights season. 

KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Rebound! Rebound! Rebound! - Last time these two met, Penn State was plus-8 on the boards. The Nittany Lions outrebounded Rutgers 41-33. The Nittany Lions were able to get 13 offensive rebounds which led to many second chance points. John Harrar (6) and Greg Lee (12) combined for 18 rebounds in their last meeting. Rutgers is going to have to get aggressive and physical with rebounding. Cliff Omoruyi and Ron Harper Jr. are going to have to physical in the trenches and fight for every rebound as well as every loose ball.
2. No slow starts - Rutgers cannot afford to get off to a slow start. Last time these two met, Rutgers started very slow and Penn State went on a run to stretch their lead from 6-4 to 18-6. Rutgers was never able to catch up and they trailed 27-19 at halftime. Rutgers tried to battle back in the second half, but they fell apart around the 8 minute mark and Penn State pulled away to win by 17. Rutgers needs to dictate the tempo of the game and work for good looks to take good shots. Rutgers must avoid forcing any shots if it isn't a good look. 
3. Defend the perimeter - Penn State is not a great three point shooting team, but they will look for Seth Lundy, Sam Sessoms, and Dallion Johnson are their best shooters from deep. If anyone of them heats up, Rutgers could be in for some serious trouble. Rutgers has to continue to defend the perimeter and play swarming defense. Look for John Harrar to set a high action ball screen to setup a shot from deep from one of the three players mentioned above. Rutgers must avoid the high screen. 
4. Pound the rock - Ron Harper Jr. and Paul Mulcahy are at their best when they drive the lane and pound the rock. If they can continue to attack the rim, score points, and draw fouls, Rutgers will be successful. Both players are good free-throw shooters. Also, look for Rutgers' guards Geo Baker and Paul Mulcahy to feed the rock to Cliff Omoruyi down low. 
5. Find your playmakers - If Rutgers wants to win this game on Sunday, they have to find their playmakers. On offense, Rutgers has to find a way to get the ball in the hands of Ron Harper Jr., Geo Baker, and Cliff Omoruyi. On defense, look for Caleb McConnell to disrupt Penn State's offense by forcing turnovers and steals. If Rutgers can force turnovers and steals, they must move the ball quick in transition to catch Penn State off guard. 
6. Keep your composure, stay disciplined - Paul Mulcahy has been playing a bit wild lately, and he was recently ejected from the game against Indiana. Mulcahy has to play smart basketball and keep his composure. Penn State is going to try and frustrate him, and he cannot allow himself to get frustrated. Mulcahy also has to take good shots and make good passes. In his last several games, Mulcahy made mistakes he normally does not make. He committed several unforced turnovers with bad passes and several bad offensive fouls. Rutgers loves to play physical defense but they will have to stay disciplined. They commit fouls. A lot of fouls. They are going to have to keep their playmakers out of foul trouble at all costs.