Rutgers Will Provide Biggest Test for Syracuse to Date

Syracuse basketball is 3-0 on the season, but just how good are they really? We will find out a lot more about the Orange when they face No. 21 Rutgers in their first road game of the season Tuesday night. Rutgers is also 3-0 and facing its first major conference opponent as well.

Entering the 2019-20 season, Rutgers had 13 consecutive losing seasons. No one expected them to snap that streak, but that is exactly what they did as they became one of the better stories in college basketball. Poised to make its first NCAA Tournament in quite some time, postseason college basketball was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This season, expectations are sky high. Rutgers started the season ranked in the preseason poll for the first time since 1978. There is a reason why expectations are so high. The Scarlet Knights are really good.

Rutgers will be without arguably its best player against Syracuse, as Geo Baker suffered an ankle injury in the season opener and has not recovered enough to play. Still, in his absence, guard Ron Harper Jr. has shined. The 6-6 wing is leading the team in scoring (21 points per game) and rebounds (7.7 boards per game). Harper is shooting nearly 58% from the floor and 37.5% from beyond the arc.

A dynamic scorer, Harper is a threat at all three levels and superb in transition. He is complimented by guards Jacob Young and Montez Mathis, each averaging over 15 points per game. Young also leads the team in assists at nearly six per game. Rutgers has offensive weapons throughout its lineup, and averages 84 points per game. They have not proven to be a great outside shooting team so far this season, however, making just 29% of their three pointers on the year.

Rutgers is a great rebounding team with four players averaging more than five boards per game. They have two big, physical centers in Myles Johnson and Cliff Omoruyi. Both can score in the low post and are great rebounders. Johnson is also an elite rim protector at 3.3 blocks in just 16.7 minutes per game. Johnson is listed at 6-11, 255 pounds while Omoruyi is 6-11, 240.

Rutgers is ranked 61st in offensive efficiency by KenPom and 12th in defensive efficiency. Not only can Rutgers score, but they defend at a high level with an active zone. The Scarlet Knights will also use the full court press. They give up just 64.7 points per game, and teams are shooting just 36.9% from the floor. Rutgers is outrebounding its opponents by more than 11 boards per game, while forcing over 15 turnovers.

Simply put, this Scarlet Knights squad is one that will test Syracuse on both ends.