Enjoying the Build: 4 Thoughts on Fordham

Rutgers lost to Fordham by a score of 78-70. Here are 4 thoughts.

Typical: There it is. Every year, Rutgers has at least one. People were starting to get excited about the Scarlet Knights, and they’d played a bunch of tough games tough. And then, with four days off to prepare, Rutgers walks into Fordham and lays an absolute egg. After going up ten in the first half, Rutgers took their foot off the gas, let Fordham back in it and could never recover.

Mental Errors: In the second half, both on offense and defense, the Scarlet Knights made a ton of mental errors. They weren’t able to rebound, giving Fordham a ton of second—and even third—chances at scoring on offense. And Fordham always took advantage. Meanwhile, it felt like Rutgers kept turning the ball over or missing wide open looks. Early in the game, I wondered if depth perception in an old arena was a problem, but Rutgers never got it going. Ugly to watch.

Ron Harper Jr.: If you’re looking for a sign of optimism, I thought Harper Jr played his best game. In crunch time with Rutgers desperately (and finally playing with intensity) trying to come back, Harper was always in the right spot. He made a big three and two easy lay-ups to pull Rutgers within 4. But it was all for naught.

Seton Hall Up Next: Man, this takes the shine off of things. Rutgers only needed to take care of business to truly amp up the anticipation for this game. Seton Hall won one of the best games I’ve ever watched in overtime against Kentucky. Rutgers lays an egg at Fordham. Sigh. On to the next one.