MBB Ready to Open Big Ten Play Wednesday
Dec 29 | Men's Basketball
By Tom Luicci
ScarletKnights.com
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - It's with equal parts anticipation and realism that Rutgers embarks on its Big Ten schedule when Indiana visits the Rutgers Athletic Center for a 1 p.m. start on Wednesday.
The anticipation stems from an active two-game winning streak capped by an 89-66 victory over UMass-Lowell on Monday night that resulted in season bests in points scored, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage and rebounds.
The realism? It's the Big Ten, which may not be as deep as it was a year ago but still features teams ranked No. 1 (Michigan State), No. 4 (Maryland) and No. 14 (Purdue) in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll.
The Scarlet Knights face all three in the upcoming month.
"I feel like a lot of people, just based off the way the team played last year and the way we've played this year at times, have their doubts about our team going into the Big Ten," said fifth-year senior guard Omari Grier, coming off a 22-point performance that featured 6-of-7 shooting from 3-point range. "At the end of the day we still have to play the games. Everyone can have their assumptions or opinions about the games but we still have to play them. If we prepare and continue to play with confidence we can win games. We know that."
For three key contributors - guard Corey Sanders, forward Jonathan Laurent and Grier - this will mark their first Big Ten exposure.
That alone is driving some of the excitement despite an opening three games in the conference that offers 10-3 Indiana, last year's national runnerup in Wisconsin and Maryland as the Scarlet Knights' introduction to league play this season. The latter two are on the road.
"I'm ready," said Sanders, the promising freshman who had 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals against UMass-Lowell. "It's my first go-around. I've been following the Big Ten for years. I can't wait to get a crack at it.
"I know it's going to be tough. We've got to come out and fight and compete every night. We're going to play hard every night. We're going to play determined every night. We know we can be a good team when we play well, even though we're lacking size. We have to make up for that in other ways."
Even in what might be perceived as a year the Big Ten isn't particularly deep, the challenge for Rutgers (6-7) is magnified because of the absence of three post players who would help considerably in a league known for its size and physical play.
Redshirt freshman Ibrahima Diallo is out indefinitely after suffering a fractured foot. Head coach Eddie Jordan said the 6-10 Diallo, who averaged 3.8 points and 3.7 rebounds through the first 10 games, had successful surgery on Dec. 24.
Forward Deshawn Freeman, one of the team's most productive players (13.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg) is sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury after appearing in seven games. And sophomore center Shaquille Doorson remains out indefinitely with a foot injury. He has yet to play this season.
"It's going to be a heck of a challenge for us because of our situation," Jordan said of the upcoming 18-game Big Ten schedule. "We need to keep building. It's going to take time to get to that level. To us it's the league isn't just top heavy. There are 13 teams that are a challenge - especially where we are right now. If we had our three bigs I might be able to say `I think we can match up here, we can match up with this team.' But I can't say that now.
"We're depleted with injuries and we're small. That makes playing in this conference a great challenge. But let's see what we can do."
Jordan heads into Big Ten play with an eight-player rotation that features just two players (Greg Lewis and D.J. Foreman) taller than 6-6.
"It's frustrating not to be at full strength, that's for sure," said Laurent, coming off a 13-point, 15-rebound performance. "But there's nothing you can do about it. Sometimes you have to grow up. Everything isn't always perfect in life. Sometimes you've got to do what you can to survive."
Sanders said his main goal for Big Ten play is simple.
"I want to be able to compete with everybody," he said. "Those are my only expectations for the Big Ten. I'm going to do my best to help my team win every game."
Laurent, who recorded his first career double-double on Monday night, says he hopes everyone understands that this is still a young team, one that only loses Bishop Daniels, Grier and Lewis from this roster next season.
"I'm thinking we have some potential to beat some teams," he said. "My expectation is to win more games than we did last year in the league. We'll need a couple of upsets.
"But this is a young team that can grow together. This is a growing year. This is a building program. Everyone knows we're missing a couple of pieces right now but this is a growing year. Hopefully we'll get some wins in the Big Ten and prove people wrong."
