Rutgers basketball looks surprisingly good in 4-OT loss to St. John's

NEW YORK – After two exhibition games against Big East opponents, one thing is crystal clear about this Rutgers basketball team.

The Scarlet Knights are way better than their preseason projections of finishing 17^th in the 18-team Big Ten.

On Sunday, they dominated a talented St. John’s squad in the first half before falling 104-99 in a quadruple-overtime marathon in front of about 4,000 fans at Madison Square Garden.

St. John’s is a Top 25 team with some player-eligibility questions still undecided, by the Red Storm’s full team was out there for the exhibition.

Rutgers, which opens the regular season Nov. 6 against New Haven, was coming off a 77-75 exhibition loss at home to Villanova – a borderline-Top 25 squad.

“We’re really good when we play together and we trust each other,” said senior guard Tariq Francis, who paced Rutgers with 24 points and grabbed six rebounds. “In the second half we took some tough shots. But when we play together we can be a really good team, defensively and offensively.”

FIVE TAKEAWAYS

That first half

Rutgers went into the break leading 46-28 after a stunning display of spacing, ball-sharing and defensive intensity. The starting backcourt of Francis and Mark torched St. John’s guards – including seasoned foreign pro Quinn Ellis – over the first 20 minutes.

“They’re the type of team that can beat you off the bounce and score, and that’s a strong weapon,” St. John’s coach Rick Pitino said. “They’ll be tough offensively. They play hard. They’re a good group.”

Yes, it's an exhibition and the momentum didn't continue after the break, but this was a tantalizing glimpse into this group's potential.

“For the most part I thought we did a lot of good things," Rutgers associate head coach Brandin Knight said. "We just have to finish…have to get a little better with our execution down the stretch, and that’s on me.”

Gurdak looks the part, again

Sophomore center Christian Gurdak (20 points, 15 rebounds, two assists) continued the eye-opening play he showed against Villanova. Before he wore down in the overtimes, the Virginia Tech transfer had his way with St. John’s frontcourt defenders, set textbook screens and ran a sharp pick-and-roll. He also rebounded aggressively against a much bigger frontcourt.

Asked for his take on his performance, Gurdak replied, “I thought I could have done more to get us over that hump, but overall pretty good."

Gurdak did get gassed as the minutes piled up, especially on the defensive end. He won't have to deal with a four-overtime contest again, but he could use some help inside, for sure.

“He did a really good job for someone that is 6-9,” Pitino said. “He knows how to play the game.”

Mark given the keys

A ton was asked of Mark in this game. He was the primary ball-handler against the Johnnies' pressure and also had to defend Ellis for long stretches. He was omnipresent in the first half, blowing by the Johnnies' defenders and bottling their guards up on defense, and he held up pretty well against St. John's relentless physicality until the second overtime, when he went to the bench with cramps.

It was a bit surprising that, on the final sequence of regulation, Mark got the call to attack the rim instead of handing it off to Francis, but that's a sign of this coaching staff's confidence in him.

Mark finished with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and three turnovers in 40 minutes. Remember, he's just a sophomore.

“I thought he played well," Knight said. "There are some things that I would like to clean up. This is for our team — sometimes we took some difficult ones, and when you take an abundance of difficult ones, they tend not to go in consistently.”

Pleasant surprises

Fifth-year transfer guard RaSheed Jones was electric off the bench in the first half, posting eight points, two rebounds and a steal – and registering a four-point play. He led the plus/minus at plus-18 through the first 20 minutes. It was telling that, when Rutgers needed an injury sub at the end of overtime, Jones got the call.

The Scarlet Knights outrebounded a program known for attacking the glass, 58-51 overall and 18-11 on the offensive boards. They should have gotten more than 14 second-chance points off of 18 offensive rebounds, but Rutgers' coaching staff looks at rebounding as the principal gauge of their team's toughness. Their effort on the glass was a good sign.

"They kicked our a-s-s on the glass," St. John's forward Keyshawn Hall said, spelling out the letters.

Senior wing Darren Buchanan was asked to do a lot of dirty-work underneath on both ends and he delivered 13 points and nine boards, although he did come up just short on the potential game-winning layup in traffic at the end of regulation. He's come light years in understanding his role compared to this time last year. That's what retention does for you.

What needs work

Rutgers’ interior defense got exploited as the Johnnies scored 58 points in the paint. Gurdak needs help and it’s not clear where that’s coming from because Rutgers is mostly using wings at the four-spot.

The 3-point shooting, which was 4-of-17 against Villanova, once again was a struggle (4-of-20). Junior wing Darin Smith, who was unconscious against Villanova, was off from the start and shot just 3-of-14 overall. Sophomore guard Kaden Powers misfired on his opportunities.

To St. John’s credit, the Red Storm turned up the defensive screws big-time in the second half, surely after a pointed talking-to by Pitino. Rutgers did not handle the counterpunch well at first, rushing shots and devolving into hero ball for stretches. Chalk it up to a learning experience – that’s why you schedule a foe like St. John’s in exhibition.

“They got more physical and we didn’t,” Knight said. “When it got to an evenly played game we started punching back, and that’s why it went four overtimes.”

Brandin Knight’s rotation

Running the team once again while head coach Steve Pikiell continues to undergo cancer treatment, Knight used an 11-man rotation – probably smaller than the depth-loving Pikiell would have gone in an exhibition, but this closely mirrored what you’ll see in the regular season from Rutgers.

Knight made a three-man substitution just before the under-16 timeout, bringing Jones, guard Jamichael Davis and center Gevonte Ware off the bench in the first wave of reinforcements.

He also called on 17-year-old freshman Mervedi Miteo, a late-summer addition from Spain, at center in both halves and even in the third overtime. The 6-foot-10, 265-pounder obviously has a lot to learn, but his Big Ten-ready body may come in handy this season. Miteo grabbed three offensive boards and made two free throws.

Forward Will Sydnor, a Manhattan transfer who was sidelined for a long while by a nagging ankle injury, checked in six minutes into the first half and looked rusty. He didn’t produce a stat and did not play after halftime.

Three guys rode the pine: freshman guards Imahri Wooten and Diego Garavaglia and freshmen forward Martin Tonejc. That’s the end of the bench this season.

The only player who didn't dress was 7-foot-2 backup center Dorin Buca, who has what has been characterized as a minor knee injury.

Knight going deep into his bench in both halves and in the later overtimes was a reminder that the main mission of these exhibitions is not to win – it’s to get the players read for when the curtain goes up in November.

It’s also worth noting that Knight let the Scarlet Knights play through their second-half rough patches for the most part, which is part of the learning process. No doubt he would have been much more aggressive without timeouts in a real game.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers basketball looks surprisingly good in 4-OT loss to St. John's