Rutgers Scouting Report

Purdue welcomes a familiar foe in Rutgers to Mackey Arena. Purdue defeated Rutgers at the RAC earlier this season by the score of 68-60 after Rutgers made it close in the second half. Rutgers is still ranked inside the top five in adjusted defense and has received a boost from recently cleared Jeremiah Williams. A tough opportunity for Purdue to prove themselves once again.

Rutgers Offense

Rutgers currently sits at 275th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency according to Kenpom. This years team has pushed the tempo compared to previous Rutgers teams (68.3 adjusted tempo), they have focused on quick pass aheads to their wings to score. In the half court the scoring has been much harder to come upon, shooting 43.6% from two point range and 29.1 from three, both bottom thirty numbers in the country.

Player Profiles P/R/A

#11 - Clifford Omoruyi* 11/9/1

A big time athlete, Omoruyi is best used as a lob threat but the guards also love to drop it down to him on drives. In the post, he is either looking for a quick drive or he will turn over his left shoulder for a hook shot. The bigs guarding him need to keep him away from the rim, guards looking to double from the weakside on post catches. Also, really important to "sandwich" Omoruyi to secure offensive rebounds.

#25 - Jeremiah Williams* 13/5/4

In one of the more bizarre transfer situations, Jeremiah Williams has finally been cleared to play. Rutgers loves to use him in a spread pick and roll that allows him to get down hill. He loves to work in the mid range area or spray the ball out to the perimeter. Purdue has to focus on keeping him out of the paint and looking to strip the ball when Williams does get to the paint.

#0 - Derek Simpson* 9/3/3

One of the top breakout candidates in the Big Ten, Simpson is extremely aggressive with his pull up off the dribble. He especially likes his mid range when going left, but has struggled from the field overall. He has not shown the willingness to drive one on one and looks to create out of pick and roll situations mainly. I would go under ball screens to start out with, trying to bait him into long twos.

#1 - Jamichael Davis* 5/3/2

For my money, Jamichael Davis is the most entertaining Rutgers player. He comes off the bench as an instant scoring punch both from three and going to the rim. It will be very important for Purdue to limit his space and contain him one on one because of how will he can create for others.

#3 - Mawot Mag* 10/5/2

Mag has been solid since returning from a touch ACL injury last season. He is confident in the mid range and has also expanded his range to three point land more.

#5 - Aundre Hyatt 12/5/1

By far Rutgers most aggressive three point shooter. He has a slow release from three and has not shown himself an aggressive driver of the basketball. Purdue has to have a hand up on the catch to dissuade his three point attempts, really committing to taking away his threes before he can get hot.

#24 - Austin Williams 5/3/1

The fifth starter for Rutgers has not seen a high usage (16.7) and his shot volume mirrors that. Could be a player that Purdue helps off of to show more help against other players.

#2 - Noah Fernandes 8/2/2

The UMass transfer is all about getting to the rim despite is size. He is very shifty with the ball in his hands and especially likes attacking bigger players on the perimeter. He has proven to be a capable three point shooter. Because of his size, the Purdue guards should be taking away perimeter chances to try and funnel him to Edey.

#10 - Gavin Griffiths 6/2/0

The freshman has a pretty jumper. He finds his balance well from a variety of catches, yet has struggled to get shots to fall. On hard closeouts, he wants to go left. I expect Purdue to remain connected to him, forcing him to make plays off the dribble before allow open jumpers.

Rutgers Offensive Sets

Flex

Flex Chin Stagger

Opening Game Lob

Horns Zoom

Double Out Post Isolation

Another Year, Another Elite Rutgers Defense

Rutgers sits at the top of the Big Ten in adjusted defensive efficiency per Kenpom for the second straight year. The Scarlett Knights are aggressive and anticipate offensive actions that keeps them one step ahead of the offense.

Defensive Styles

Man to Man

• Ball Screens - Drop coverage, guard forcing sideline

• Post - One on One and digging down with everybody on the floor

• Off ball - No switching, significant help on screens

• On ball - Neutral/forcing baseline

Diamond and One Press

• Really patient on traps, not committing until they are ready

• Backside players splitting the difference extremely well

• Takes away the sideline and backcourt when they double

• Doubling the ball handler right before they cross half court

• Wings closing off the sidelines, forcing the ball handler back to the middle

2-3 Zone

• Will use this out of timeouts or to stop big runs

• Extended wings with Omoruyi having responsibility for the paint

1-3-1 Zone

How to Attack Rutgers

• Play off Edey's rolling gravity - Roll and replace for Gillis, cutting from the corners

• Guard to Guard ghost screens/slips

• Leave the the corners empty to give Edey space and vision of the defense

• Cut around Edey - Waiting for a double and generating layups off the double

• Pick on the freshman Griffiths

• Drive through arm gaps

Predicted Matchups

Braden Smith - Derek Simpson

Lance Jones - Mawot Mag

Fletcher Loyer - Jamichael Davis

Kauffman-Renn - Jeremiah Williams

Zach Edey - Cliff Omoruyi

How Each Team Wins

Rutgers:

1. Turn Purdue over - 16+ turnovers

2. Rebound the basketball - Tie Purdue on the glass

3. Big day from two of Rutgers guards - 35+ from Rutgers guards

4. Generate points with rim running and rolling for Cliff - 15+ points for Omoruyi

Purdue:

1. Handle pressure - less than 12 turnovers (No long passes!)

2. Edey create space for the guards - less than 3 turnovers and 18 shot attempts

3. Make Rutgers play against a set defense - less than 10 points from fast breaks and turnovers

4. Guard the three point line - Allowing under 6 three point makes