After Dane Miller and co. stomped on Monmouth Monday night, the Scarlet Knights make their first foray of the season into Madison Square Garden to take on Stony Brook. It's a sleepy noontime game in the once-legendary Holiday Festival.
Find out what the Knights have to do after the jump...
1. Be Prepared for MSG: Often, college teams who play in smaller home gyms have trouble making the transition to playing in a larger pro arena. Especially when the arena is empty. The sight-lines are different and it's hard to line up your shot... especially from 3 point land. With an offensively challenged young squad, Rutgers is going to have to be ready for the inevitable slump and keep playing defense. Not to mention, Stonybrook has been trying to play in MSG for ages. Which leads us to...2. Do Not Underestimate Stony Brook: They were picked to win their conference. According to Jerry Carino's article, they've got a tough, ready to play senior who will not be scared to knock down the big shot. They're going to be pumped to play and they're ready to beat Rutgers. A young team cannot come into this game half asleep.
3. Hey, Dane! Keep being Dane: More and more of the Dane Miller we saw Monday night. He has to be flying all over the court, forcing himself and the players around him to be the best he can be. He's got to score in double digits, but if he can facilitate the fast break as well, it's going to be fun to watch him the rest of the year. Rutgers is going to need him tomorrow.
4. Get Myles Mack Going: The team is going to need Myles Mack at some point this season. So far, he's shown flashes, but hasn't taken over a game yet. Against Monmouth, he missed some pretty open 3 pointers, and he turned the ball over. Mack is going to be a great player, you can see it, but he needs to start showing it. Hopefully tomorrow is the day.
5. Smart Offense: Play a smart and patient offense. Get open shots. More assists than turnovers would be nice. But the team can't be taken over by 1 on 1 player. They won't win that way. Not tomorrow and not in the Big East. Keep building on what worked Monday night.