Rutgers will play its final non-conference game of the 2022-23 season against Coppin State on Friday, December 30 at 8 PM ET (BTN). Rutgers is fresh of the heels of its most recent blowout victory of Bucknell and will be in search of its 9th win on the season. The Scarlet Knights look to remain perfect against low-major competition and Q4 opponents. Rutgers is currently 5-0 against Q4 opponents. Rutgers has blown out all of its lesser competition by 30 or more points.
Coppin State enters Friday's contest with an overall record of 5-11, ranked 296th in the KenPom Ratings, and are currently ranked 264th in the NET Rankings, which means the Eagles will be a Q4 opponent for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers enters the contest ranked 22 in the KenPom and are 25th in the NET Rankings.
Coppin State has recently dropped its last two games by an average of 28 pts but were able to pull off a stunning 107-100 upset of James Madison (66, Q2) less than nine days ago. Despite Coppin State's overall record and recent poor performance, the Eagles do rank well in several categories:
- FT attempts per game - 70
- FT made per game - 77
- 3PT made per game - 66
- Scoring offense - 119
- Fastbreak points - 109
- Scoring defense - 352
- 3PT% defense - 271
- Rebounds per game - 273
- FG% defense - 333
- Fouls per game - 335
Most of Coppin State's offense is ran through Sam Sessoms, a player the Scarlet Knights have grown familiar with over the last two seasons. Prior to the season, Sam Sessoms transferred from Penn State to Coppin State, and Sessoms has provided a much needed lift offensively for the Eagles. Currently, Sessoms is averaging 22.9 ppg (4th in the nation), 5.3 apg, and shooting 53.1% per game. These numbers are a career high for Sessoms. Rutgers has done a phenomenal job shutting down teams' high scorers and keeping teams' high scorers well below their season average all season long. Expect the Scarlet Knights to assign Caleb McConnell to defend Sessoms all evening. Another player Rutgers must keep an eye that poses a threat is Nendah Clarke, who is currently averaging 12.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, and is shooting 43% per game.
Coppin State's Last Three Games:
KEYS TO THE GAME
Strong, fast start - Rutgers must get off to a strong, fast start in order to keep this game out of reach. If Rutgers gets off to a slow, sluggish start, they risk the potential of letting Coppin State hang around in this game. Rutgers has done a great job all year long at getting off to strong, fast starts and putting away its lesser competition early. Rutgers has to be smart and focused, work for good looks at the basket, force turnovers and score on the fast break in bunches. Last week, the Scarlet Knights set the tone against Bucknell with a quick alley-oop pass with a thunderous finish by Cliff Omoruyi right from the start. Bucknell was never able to catch up to Rutgers.
Keep Sessoms in check - Coppin State's offense runs through Sam Sessoms, and there is a good reason why. Sessoms is the nation's 4th leading scorer at 22.5 ppg; however, Sessoms turns the ball over a lot. Rutgers must amplify the pressure on Sessoms and force him into situations where he turns the ball over. Also, Rutgers must close in and shut down any good looks Sessoms tries to create offensively.
Feed the ball down low/Pound the paint - Coppin State is not a big team, and it's likely they will struggled to defend Cliff Omoruyi and Mawot Mag down low. If Rutgers can drive the lane consistently and feed the ball to Cliff and Mag, the Scarlet Knights will have success and win this game. Also, if Rutgers can drive the lane and pound the paint, they will likely draw fouls and earn trips to the line. Coppin State is the type of team that is not afraid to foul often.
Get Spencer and Cliff going - Rutgers is a better team when Cam Spencer is playing at an elite level. Spencer has put up big numbers in multiple games this season as he is averaging 12.4 ppg, 1.8 spg, 40% from 3PT range, and is 96% from the FT line. If Spencer can create space and separation on the floor and the rest of the team can find him, expect Spencer to take the shot. On the flip side of the coin, if Rutgers can get its big man Cliff Omoruyi going down low offensively, there's no stopping him. Several times this season, Cliff has had mental lapses on defense where he has committed numerous fouls early in the game and Coach Pikiell has no choice but to sit him on the bench for majority of the game. Cliff must avoid the early fouls and find himself in better position defensively.
Showcase your elite defense - This year's team is playing at an elite level defensively, and Rutgers should continue to showcase its elite defense. Do not allow any good looks for Coppin State on offense. Force turnovers. Lots of them. Limit any second chance opportunities Coppin State might have. It might benefit Rutgers if they apply full court pressure from the start to slow down Coppin State's offense since the Eagles like to play a high-tempo type of game.
Bonus:
Keep your foot on the gas - If Rutgers is able to jump out to a big lead, they must try to add to it. Blowout victories for the Scarlet Knights this year have certainly helped them in the NET rankings. Rutgers must keep its foot on the gas and have no mercy. Sorry, but in this day and age of college basketball, if you want to impress the committee and boost your metrics for the NCAA Tournament, you need to crush your opponent.
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