Rutgers men's basketball dominates Michigan en route to 30-point win
The Rutgers men's basketball team blew out Michigan 82-52 on Thursday night at Jersey Mike's Arena on Livingston campus. The Scarlet Knights (15-13, 7-10) never trailed the Wolverines (8-21, 3-15) through the entirety of the game.
Here are some takeaways from the landslide victory for the home team.
Electric start leads to pure dominance
Rutgers got off to an offensive start that it could have only dreamed of during other times this season, and the home crowd was rocking. Less than 4 minutes into the game, the Knights had already nailed two three-pointers, gotten two fast-break dunks and led 14-1. At the first media timeout, Rutgers led 16-4.
In the Knights' game against Maryland on Sunday, they made just two threes across the entire game, so matching that number within a matter of minutes on Thursday was a welcomed sight for head coach Steve Pikiell.
By the 7:59 mark, Rutgers' lead had ballooned to 17 points, as it was ahead 33-16. The lead only kept growing, as moments later, fifth-year guard Noah Fernandes knocked down his second three to put the Knights on top by 20 points.
After the dominating start and leading by a whopping 25 points, Rutgers went on a 5:28 scoring drought to close the half, allowing Michigan to rattle off a 10-0 run heading into the locker rooms. The Knights led 41-26.
From there, Rutgers never took its foot off the gas, and the Knights finished with the 30-point win.
Limited Gavin Griffiths minutes
After playing 25 minutes and 22 minutes in his last two games, freshman guard Gavin Griffiths did not play for Rutgers in the entire first half.
It took until a 22-point Knights lead and 12:57 to go in the game before Griffiths checked in for the first time. With NCAA Tournament hopes essentially out the window for Rutgers, it was expected that his development would be a priority to close the season.
Upon checking in, Griffiths buried a three-pointer to give the Knights a 64-38 lead with 8:57 to play. Griffiths finished with 3 points in 11 minutes of play.
Following the game, Pikiell was asked about Griffiths' limited meaningful minutes.
"We were playing well. The group that was out there defensively, they were locked in," Pikiell said. "Love Gavin, got him in, he made some good plays for us, but those guys have been really good in practice, and they earned those minutes."
Terry time
It means things went right for Rutgers when senior guard Aiden Terry, a former walk-on, gets in the game. Terry gets extremely limited minutes but typically checks in when the Knights have a big enough lead late in games.
In this one, Terry entered the game with 2:40 to go and Rutgers leading by 26. He had a chance to get on the scoreboard but went 0 for 2 on a trip to the charity stripe.
While Terry could not convert, graduate student guard Zach Hayn, another player who gets minimal playing time, scored on a layup for his first career Knight points.
Senior center Clifford Omoruyi starred, finishing with 19 points and 15 rebounds. He now sits at fourth in program history in rebounds following Thursday's game.
Rutgers now looks ahead to two road games against Nebraska and Wisconsin.
"It was a really good team win," Pikiell said. "I thought our guys were thinking about all the right things, and that's important. Where their mind is, is important … I'm proud of them."
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