Enjoying the Build: 4 Thoughts on Nebraska

That was fun, wasn’t it? Rutgers beats the then #11 and now #16 team in KenPom, Nebraska, 76-69.

Four thoughts? Four Thoughts.

Eugene Omoruyi: How big was his comeback today? The minute he stepped off the bench to enter the game, the entire RAC kind of woke up. There was a spark here and the Scarlet Knights fed off of it. He played extremely solid defense, scored a couple of key buckets and made a lot of hustle plays in an unbelievable 25 minutes. He showed how badly this team needs him and how his absence hurt the team in other games. Eugene was the catalyst for a big win tonight.

Geo Baker is the Leader: As Geo goes, so go the Scarlet Knights. And Geo had a huge second half. He shot 43% from the field and had 16 points. He also shot 3-4 from three point land, increasing his shooting percentage from beyond the arc close to where he was last season. Along with solid defense on Glen Watson Jr, Geo lead the team to the win. He had the look in his eye in the second half and hustled big time to get it done.

Myles Johnson is Becoming a Force: The redshirt freshman was big tonight, racking up a double double with 13 points and 11. He made solid passes as well playing just a great all around game. One of the fun parts of enjoying this build is watching the players start to figure the game out and come into their own. Johnson is doing that. He’s playing good defense, and really seeing the court well on offense. The floor really opens up when he’s making shots close to the basket and passing out of double teams.

What Else Can You Say About Montez Mathis: 20 points and 9 rebounds. The kid gets to the rim with ease and makes his lay-ups. He also hustles the heck out of the game, beating 4 Huskers to the ball on a missed free throw to give the Scarlet Knights another possession and milk the clock. The kid is turning into part of the top 3 for Rutgers with Baker and Omoruyi and he’s only played 18 games in his entire career. It’s fun watching him take off too.

Just so much good tonight. Rutgers faces Penn State next Saturday.