Rutgers Basketball: Big Men Do Their Jobs Against Lehigh
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The scrappy Lehigh Mountain Hawks put a scare into the Scarlet Knights Friday evening, pulling within two points a little more than midway through the second half, but Rutgers finished them off with a tried-and-true recipe for success under Head Coach Pikiell: Rebounding and attacking the rim with purpose.
The 84-72 victory over Lehigh did little to calm a nervous fanbase, many of whom expect to finish in the basement of the Big Ten this season. The fact that Lehigh tripled Rutgers on made threes, nine to three, with Rutgers’ three sharpshooters not registering a deep basket, is highly concerning.
No Threat From Deep
Rutgers brought in transfers Tariq Francis (NJIT), Harun Zrno (KK Slavija), and Denis Badalau (Centro Studi Alessandro Manzoni), simply put, for their offense. The stat line for all from deep was ugly.
Francis: 0-2
Badalau: 0-2
Zrno: 0-4.
3-0 and on to the next one. ✅
— Rutgers Men’s Basketball 🏀 (@RutgersMBB) November 15, 2025
Game Recap: https://t.co/qQ1Ku9eryI#TheKnighthood🛡️⚔️ pic.twitter.com/9aFknLs8r1
The Big Men Cleaned Up the Glass and Feasted Down Low
On a night when Rutgers shot three of 13 overall from deep, the offense made a concerted effort to live in the paint and attack the rim. That started with the Knights’ most talented player, forward Dylan Grant, who, when he wasn’t throwing thunderous dunks that made the rim rattle, was getting to the free throw line - and making them.
Grant poured in 28 points in 29 minutes of action, made 9 of 10 free throws, and hit his only attempt from deep, carrying Rutgers to the hard-fought victory.
Grant’s teammate, much-maligned center Emmanuel Ogbole, a physical specimen whose game has resembled more bark than bite, had the best game of his college career. Ogbole has a history of not finishing around the rim, missing uncontested layups, and botching put-backs, but on Friday night, the hulking big man was 7 of 8 on put-backs and dunks, pulled down ten boards, and was serviceable at the free-throw line, making two of four.
For the first time in a Scarlet Knights uniform, the center looked quicker than his opponents guarding him and had better spatial awareness on defense protecting the rim, something to watch moving forward when conference play starts and he matches up against opponents similar in size.
Head Coach Steve Pikiell praised Ogbole during his postgame press conference.
"It's a huge difference now. He has 25 rebounds in three games — that's huge. He works, and he's a big presence around the basket,” Pikiell said. “He challenges shots, and he's starting to blend with his teammates. I love that people don't see him every day, because he gets better and better, and it's starting to show. Between him and Bryce [Dortch] coming off the bench and scoring seven points, I'm really happy for E” (courtesy of Rutgers Athletics ).
Manny is WORKIN! 💪‼️
— Rutgers Men’s Basketball 🏀 (@RutgersMBB) November 15, 2025
📺 https://t.co/qNGVopYVBc
📊 https://t.co/jyzZIC8MVi pic.twitter.com/JbqCvnikLp
Rebounding and Points in Paint
Add in solid games from forwards Bryce Dortch and Chris Nwuli, and high-motor guard Darren Buchanan Jr., and you have a night where you out-rebound your opponent 45-26, and dominate in the paint, outscoring Lehigh 42-24 down low.
Head Coach Pikiell was pleased with the team’s improved rebounding.
“One thing they know — we talk about it all the time — is that the backboards are huge, and we haven't been a good rebounding team the last couple of years,” Pikiell said. “We started in June. Dylan (Grant) had a double-double last game — that's a huge part of it. Chris (Nwuli) will be one of our best rebounders moving forward. He can really go get it. We have to be a good rebounding team. We shot the ball well tonight, so there weren't as many offensive rebounds to get, but when you shoot 50 or 54 percent, that's part of it. Our guards stuck their noses in there, too. Riq (Tariq Francis) had six rebounds, JMike (Jamichael Davis) had four — that's 10 from our backcourt. That's a really good sign” (courtesy of Rutgers Athletics).
Looking Ahead
Rutgers plays Game 4 of the young season Tuesday night against American, 6pm at Jersey Mike’s Arena, airing live on the Big Ten Network.
John Catapano graduated from Rutgers in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, covering the women’s field hockey and soccer teams for the campus paper, The Daily Targum. After college, he moved to Los Angeles, got a job at Walt Disney Television, and has worked in media ever since. John currently works with the Wasserman Media Group in their Brooklyn, NY office, collaborating with brands, influencers, and athletes across the globe. When the pandemic struck in 2020 and Catapano began working remotely, he resumed writing by contributing to a Rutgers fan blog. He covered various sports, highlighted human interest stories, and focused on topics that Scarlet Nation wanted to discuss. It’s never easy being a Rutgers fan, but with over 500,000 alumni living worldwide and a passionate fanbase, covering the Scarlet Knights is always engaging.