Super Scarlet Sunday
by ibleedscarlet on Feb 7, 2010 11:35 AM EST
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Gary Brackett looks for his 2nd Super Bowl ring today...
In case you haven't heard yet, there's a pretty big game going down today in the NFL.
The New Orleans Saints meet the Indianapolis Colts tonight in Miami in Super Bowl XLIV, in a highly anticipated match-up of elite quarterbacks and big play offenses.
Rutgers will be represented in the Super Bowl for the 4th straight year by former Scarlet Knight standouts Gary Brackett and Eric Foster. Brackett is the Colts middle linebacker and defensive captain, an undersized and underappreciated force who makes all the plays. Foster, the author of the "chop" in Piscataway, is a back-up defensive tackle.
In the last three Super Bowls, a Scarlet Knights player has walked away as champion. In 2007 Gary Brackett earned a Super Bowl ring with the Colts as they defeated the Bears 29-17. In 2008 Shaun O'Hara and the New York Giants knocked off the previously undefeated New England Patriots. In '09 Darnell Stapleton earned his ring as an offensive line starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Now I'm not a betting man (well at least not since they shutdown my sportsbook account), but if I was, I'd have to go with the Saints 31-27. Dwight Freeney's injured ankle and my man-crush for Drew Brees lead me to see a big 3 TD game from the Saints QB, and the Super Bowl MVP.
Enjoy the game everyone!
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3 Game Winning Streak Not in the Cards
by ibleedscarlet on Feb 7, 2010 11:12 AM EST
in Basketball
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Rutgers played well, but gave up too many points in transition....
As Herm Edwards would say, "We can build on this."
Rutgers 2 game Big East winning streak came to an end yesterday at Freedom Hall, but I was actually impressed by the way that this team played. This was probably the best effort that I have seen from this Rutgers team in any of their Big East losses. After falling behind early, Rutgers gave Louisville everything that they could handle pulling within four in the second half, but ultimately falling short. The young guys are playing well, and the ball movement and defensive tenacity has been great over the last few games. Though I still don't believe that Fred Hill Jr. should be back for next year's campaign, there is a tremendous amount of potential in the athletes on this team.
The offensive star for Rutgers was junior Jonathon Mitchell who is becoming a deadly 3 point shooter. Mitchell was 3-4 from downtown (and is now over 38% from behind the arc) in registering 17 points for the Knights. Freshman Dane Miller put on an above the rim highlight show, and finished the game with 17 points helping to keep the Knights in the game throughout the first half. Mike Rosario and Hamady Ndiaye also scored in double-figures for the Scarlet Knights who drop to 11-12 overall and 2-9 in the Big East.
While Rutgers was able to chip away at the lead, they were unable to come up with the big stop when they needed it. Louisville was extremely good in the transition offense, especially getting good looks at 3, and knocking them down. Louisville mad 9 three's in the game, none more important than Jerry Smith's after the Knight had cut the lead to 4. Smith's shot started a 10-2 Cards run, and Rutgers was never able to get any closer than the 4 point deficit. For Louisville it was a satisfying victory in the middle of a tough midst of Big East games:
"We had some wars that have taken a lot out of us, and this was our (trap) game that was very similar to what can happen in the Big East," Pitino said. "You have to come through that trap and play good enough defense to get a ‘W' and get out."
Like I said in the preview article, Rutgers ability to handle the press and the transition offense of theCards would be the key to the game. While they handled the pressure very well (only 10 turnovers for the game), they were unable to defend against the run-out giving up easy buckets, and Samardo Samuels dunks in transition. Louisville did a good job wearing out the Knights, and Coach Hill thinks that was a main reason for the UL victory:
You have to give them credit, they come after you. I thought the real difference what that they wore us down. Constant pressure wears you down, but they took the press off in the second half. We were going through it and attacking it, getting easy baskets. In the second half, they took it off. I had to play guys 40 minutes, 37 minutes, 33 minutes, and 31 minutes. You look at their minutes and they just wear you down. They have so many bodies they can just keep throwing at you and they wore us down."--Fred Hill Jr.
Hill's team could only manage 3 points off the bench, while the depth of the Cardinals shined through as the non-starters put up 25 points.
Rutgers next game comes on Tuesday night against Caldwell College. Tickets are free since Rutgers would probably be better off playing this year's Intramural Basketball Championship team, and seating will be on a first come-first serve basis. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30.
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RU Leaves Snow Behind to Battle Louisville
by ibleedscarlet on Feb 6, 2010 11:44 AM EST
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Good morning from a very snowy New Jersey, where the ground outside is whiter than "Slick" Rick Pitino's leisure suit.
Rutgers travels to Louisville, Kentucky (and leaves 12-18 inches of snow behind) in a key Big East match-up for both teams. The Cardinals (14-8, 5-4) have been both unlucky, and on the wrong side of some egregious officiating, but with a big win over Connecticut on Monday the Cards have put themselves back into NCAA tournament consideration (currently among the last team's 'IN' in Joe Lunardi's Bracketology).
The Cardinals and their high pressure defense and high octane offense are led in scoring by forward Samardo Samuels who averages 15.7 points per game, but the real key for this offense is the depth. The Cardinals have 11 guys who average at least 19 minutes per game and all score at least 3 points per game. The Cardinals will run until your tired, and then run right past you.
The Scarlet Knights on the other hand look rejuvenated after their 9 game losing streak came to an end last Saturday against Notre Dame. The Scarlet Knights then dominated from the start against St. John's and never appeared to be in any serious trouble to capture their 2nd straight win. Is it possible that in a 7 day span Rutgers can go from winless in the Big East to winners of three straight (their first 3 game Big East winning streak since 03-04)? If so, will the Rutgers fans jump back on the Freddy Hill bandwagon and call for a new 6 year extension worth 80 million dollars? Uhhh...doubt it.
Mike Rosario has regained his shooting touch and registered a career high 33 points in Tuesday's win over St. John's. He's taking good shots, and looking to get to the rim more now than he did during his mid-season slump. Rutgers has received some major contributions from Jonathon Mitchell and Dane Miller, who have stepped in their games during Big East play. But the key player in the 2 Rutgers victories has been center Hamady Ndiaye who ranks 3rd in the nation in blocks per game. He has been a dominating force down low on the defensive block either swatting away or altering shots. And his offense is starting to come around as well, as "H" has scored in double-figures in 5 of his last 6 games.
Let's take a look at some of the key stats for today's game:
|
Rutgers |
Stat |
Louisville |
|
68.0 |
Points Per Game |
79.9 |
|
71.5 |
Points Against/Game |
69.7 |
|
42.9% |
FG% |
44.8% |
|
66.9% |
FT% |
70.1% |
|
32.4% |
3 Point % |
32.8% |
|
-2.4 |
Rebounding Margin |
+4.5 |
|
0-6 (Road) |
Home/Away |
12-3 (Home) |
Rutgers has never won in Freedom Hall (0-3 alltime), but today would be a good day to start. We all know that the Scarlet Knights don't have any postseason reservations booked, but a win today and a soft finishing schedule, the Scarlet Knights could get to 5 or 6 wins in Big East play. That being said, I think that Louisville just has too much depth for the Knights. I can't trust James Beatty or Mike Coburn against a suffocating Louisville defense. Rutgers will keep it close for a while, but the turnovers will mount for the Knights whose 2 game winning streak is snapped.
Louisville 82 RU 64
If you're snowed in today like me, kick back with a cold one and enjoy the day's games!
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Coaching Point?
by ibleedscarlet on Feb 5, 2010 6:30 PM EST
in Football
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If you haven't heard the news yet, Gary Emanuel, Rutgers defensive line coach, has left the program to become the co-defenisive coordinator at Purdue. Emanuel was an assistant at Purdue from 1997-2004 before coming to the Banks.
Coaches come and go, but for some reason, the Star Ledger Staff thinks that this is a bad thing. Or at least that's what it seems like from the little information that they actually present in this article. Every year dozens of coaches change positions for different reasons. Some leave for better jobs, some are fired, some leave to coach at a school that they have prior connections to. In this day and age in college football, keeping a staff together is like trying to keep me away from an open bar: can't be done.
Losing a coach is not a desired event for a university, but it doesn't mean that coaches are jumping ship because they don't think the team can win, or they don't get a long with the head coach. College football is a business and these guys are simply advancing their careers. Wide receivers coach Brian Jenkins left after the bowl game to become the head coach at Bethune-Cookman. Former recruiting coordinator Joe Susan left last week to become the head coach at Bucknell. If you have good coaches on your staff, they are going to be afforded opportunities to move ahead with their careers. Why would anyone expect them to turn those opportunities down?
So, "How much turnover is too much when it comes to college football coaching staffs?". Who knows, since the Star Ledger, does nothing to help us answer that question.
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Out of the Cellar
by ibleedscarlet on Feb 2, 2010 9:48 PM EST
in Basketball
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St. John's had cut the Rutgers once large 15 point lead to a slim 6 points, and the Scarlet Knights were on their heels. Rutgers called a timeout to stop the bleeding. Like other times this season, the Scarlet Knights could have folded and faded back to the bottom of the Big East. But this wasn't like other times. Jonathon Mitchell came out of the timeout and hit a big three-pointer, and the Scarlet Knights never looked back, as Rutgers won it's second straight game 84-72, over the Red Storm.
Mike Rosario was on fire all night, going 13-22 from the floor and scoring a career high 33 points in improving the Scarlet Knights back to .500 overall (2-8 in the Big East). The emergence of Hamady Ndiaye continued with another brilliant all-around game. In addition to Ndiaye's customary 9 blocks, he scored 19 points on the offensive end and grabbed 9 rebounds, leaving him a block and rebound short of a triple-double. Junior Jonathon Mitchell was 4-6 from behind the 3 point arc and he poured in 18 points, and though the Rutgers bench didn't contribute much, they weren't needed.
Rutgers played with a renewed confidence on the offensive end moving the ball from side to side, and attacking the rim opening up easy lay-ups and dunks for Rosario and Ndiaye. Defensively they were able to hold the Red Storm in check (except for DJ Kennedy who finished with 27 points) for most of the game, and Ndiaye's presence in the paint was felt in both blocks and altered shots.
With a two game winning streak, the Scarlet Knights move out of the Big East basement (ahead of Depaul), and sit just a game back of team's like Seton Hall, and Connecticut.
Rutgers will attempt to make it three straight wins when they visit Freedom Hall to take on a struggling Louisville team on Saturday at 4:00 PM. The game will be broadcast live on SNY.
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Halftime Thoughts: Rutgers 40 St. John's 29
by ibleedscarlet on Feb 2, 2010 8:26 PM EST
in Basketball
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A little confidence can go a long way. After Rutgers shocking (well to about everyone but me) victory over Notre Dame on Saturday, Rutgers has carried the momentum into tonight's game against St. John's. Rutgers has led by as many as 15 on their way to an 11 point halftime lead.
Mike Rosario has done most of the damage for the Scarlet Knights. Rosario has regained his confidence and touch after a dismal showing earlier in the Big East season, and has scored 21 points already on 8-11 shooting, including 3-5 from behind the 3 point line. Rutgers as a team shot 56% from the floor in the first half.
Let's see if they can hold on and grab a two-game winning streak.
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Tuesday Trifecta
by ibleedscarlet on Feb 2, 2010 8:08 PM EST
in Recruiting
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With the lack of talent in New Jersey's graduating senior class, Rutgers 2010 recruiting was viewed as underwhelming coming into today. But with today's flurry of activity, Greg Schiano and the Rutgers coaching staff has lifted the hopes of the Scarlet faithful with a great finishing stretch.
Along with Tampa's Jeremy Deering, Rutgers scored two other 4-star recruits, the highest rated players in this year's recruiting class.
First it was Florida prep star Rashad Knight who chose Rutgers over Michigan and Auburn. Knight cited Rutgers aggressive recruiting, and his comfort at RU as a reason for his decision to come to the Banks. Knight is listed as 5'11 and 175 pounds, and was rated in the Top 20 cornerbacks in the nation for his recruiting class. He will most likely play saftey for Rutgers.
"I sat down with my family and talked about it —I called the coach at Michigan to let him know," Knight said. "I just felt too comfortable at Rutgers to not go there."
"A lot of coaches from a bunch of schools called here and there, but he [Rutgers' secondary coach Ed Pinkham] kept calling me so much, it started to get annoying," Knight said. "Then, after a while, I began to feel real comfortable with him and what he was saying and our talks."--BleacherReport.com
Later this morning, news trickled in that 6'6 wide receiver Brandon Coleman from Maryland would be heading north to RU. Coleman was regarded as one of the best undeclared receivers in the country, and his addition is a huge help for the depleted Rutgers wide receiving corps. Coleman will compete for playing time immediately and gives Tom Savage a big target opposite Mohamed Sanu. If Coleman is the real deal, opposing defenses are going to be fearing the Rutgers offense for years to come. Before deciding to choose Rutgers, Coleman also had offers to BC, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Maryland, Syracuse, and Virginia Tech.
Though this class won't be as heralded as others in the past, the strong finish and the key victories that they scored today could pay dividends in the future for RU recruiting.
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Terms of En-Deering: Tampa Star Chooses Rutgers
by ibleedscarlet on Feb 2, 2010 7:29 PM EST
in Recruiting
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Deering chose the Scarlet Knights over Florida State
In a shocker, Jeremy Deering has foregone the homestate Seminoles, and decided to take his talent North to the banks of the Old Raritan. Deering is rated as a three-star recruit, but the major thing for Rutgers is winning the head-to-head battle against Florida State in their own backyard. In the last few days, Rutgers has confirmed their strong presence in Florida with several big recruits. The pipeline from Florida to Rutgers is still alive and well.
Rutgers has closed their recruiting period strong, and a once mundane class has been lifted by the late additions of Deering and 4-star recruits Brandon Coleman and Rashad Knight.
Deering, a running back in high school who has accounted for over 1,000 all-purposes yards in each of the last three seasons, will move to wideout at RU. One of his major reasons for choosing Rutgers over the Seminoles was the fact that Deering will see the field right away with RU's lack of depth at the WR position:
"I felt like it was the place for me and the best offer," Deering said. "I feel like I'll get the most playing time there my first year."--TBO.com
Deering's final five out of nearly 30 Division 1 offers were Purdue, Illinois, Florida, Florida State and Rutgers. Deering had narrowed the list of five down to just RU and FSU before tonight's decision.
A huge recruiting victory for Rutgers. Welcome to the banks Jeremy!
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