Film Review: Wisconsin/Rutgers

Jan 11, 2015; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Myles Mack (4) drives to the basket against Wisconsin Badgers guard Traevon Jackson (12) as forward/center Greg Lewis (35) sets the screen at Louis Brown Athletic Center. Rutgers Scarlet Knights defeat Wisconsin Badgers 67-62. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

In a game that hardly any thought would be competitive, Rutgers came away with a stunning 67-62 victory over fourth-ranked Wisconsin. While the Badgers were without the services of forward Frank Kaminsky (concussion), they still have plenty of firepower to dispatch a team like the Scarlet Knights. In taking a closer look at the film, there were a few things that stuck out about Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights will travel to College Park to take on Maryland on Wednesday evening.

• Mack can flat-out score – Senior guard Myles Mack helped provide the offensive explosion for Rutgers. As his team trailed by a dozen early in the second half, the Paterson native began to find his groove as he connected on his first three shots of the half (all three-pointers). Mack scored 19 of his 21 points in the second stanza. The senior guard doesn’t need much room to be able to splash home a shot from beyond the arc. While he’s only a 29.5 percent shooter from deep on the season, he can get hot on a moment’s notice. For example, Mack went 0-of-3 from three in the first half, but connected on his first three long-range shots in the second half. This is a player that could draw Maryland guard Dez Wells on the defensive end if the Terrapins want to slow down the Scarlet Knights.
• Scarlet Knights can take command of the paint – Rutgers has a tremendous amount of size down low with the likes of Kadeem Jack, Greg Lewis, and Junior Etou. The trio is able to help Eddie Jordan’s squad control the paint very effectively at times. In Sunday’s win, Rutgers had 34 points in the paint to Wisconsin’s 26. It’s also a very athletic group led by the offensive prowess of Jack. The Queens native showed his athleticism early in the second half when he took a backdoor pass from Mack and threw it down with authority. Unfortunately for Jack, he ended up slapping the backboard while hanging on the rim, which resulted in a technical foul. It ended up not hurting the Scarlet Knights in the end. One of this trio’s biggest calling cards is their rebounding ability. All three average at least 4.9 rebounds-per-game and really make their home in the paint. Etou will also be an interesting storyline to watch for Maryland fans as he played his high school ball at Bishop O’Connell (much like guard Melo Trimble).
• Rutgers can take care of the basketball – Despite having one of the worst assist-to-turnover ratios in the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights looked very strong in that department on Sunday night. They moved the ball around incredibly well against one of the most storied defensive teams in the nation. As many know, Bo Ryan’s teams hang their hats on their defense and coincidentally ball movement on the offensive end. Rutgers didn’t take too many ill-advised shots, especially in the second half. With Kaminsky inside for Wisconsin, the low post became open a bit more than it probably would have otherwise. Aside from Mack, the Scarlet Knights shooters also excelled from the perimeter with big shots being had by guards Malick Kone and Bishop Daniels.