Rutgers’ first look at its rebuilt roster came with plenty of familiar wrinkles.
In a 77-75 exhibition against Villanova in Piscataway, the Scarlet Knights showed off nine newcomers, but the overall shape of the game felt awfully close to last winter’s version. Rutgers leaned on the same offensive approach, and it ran into many of the same problems finishing possessions. Associate head coach Brandin Knight was making his debut in charge while Steve Pikiell was out.
The shot chart told the story. Rutgers finished at 40% from the field, going 26-of-66 overall.
It took 27 non-rim two-pointers and made 11 of them, hit 11-of-21 at the rim, shot 4-of-17 from three and went 19-of-25 at the line. The one area that stood out was the glass: Rutgers collected 16 offensive rebounds and turned them into 20 second-chance points.
Villanova found its edge from deep and on the boards. The Wildcats shot 44.6% overall, made 13-of-36 threes and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds. They also forced Rutgers into 14 turnovers, which became 21 points the other way, while allowing just eight free throws.
The game stayed tight early. Neither team led by more than four points in a first half that featured nine lead changes and six ties. Villanova then seized control right after the break, opening the second half with a 9-2 run and building a 10-point lead in the first 90 seconds.
Rutgers did make a late push, trimming the gap to one point inside the final 30 seconds after a 12-2 run over the last three minutes. But Villanova never gave the lead back and held on in a game that did not count.
Rutgers was also missing three players. Star guard Tariq Francis, Manhattan transfer Will Sydnor, Kansas State transfer Dorin Buca and Slovenian signing Martin Tonejc did not suit up.
Francis’ absence left a clear hole on offense. Buca’s absence mattered in the frontcourt, where the Scarlet Knights are already thin. Sydnor remains something of a mystery after not playing at all last season at Manhattan.
One of the brightest spots for Rutgers was Christian Gurdak. The Virginia Tech transfer started at center and gave the Scarlet Knights a solid debut at a spot they’ve been trying to stabilize since Cliff Omoruyi left.
Gurdak posted 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and added two assists, two steals and a block. He showed feel around the rim against 7-foot-3 Luigi Suigo, and one of his smarter plays came when he sold a dribble handoff and slipped free for a dunk.
There are still parts of his game that need work. Gurdak had never attempted a three at Virginia Tech last season, and on Sunday he tried three and missed all of them. Defensively, he held up reasonably well against Suigo, who finished with 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting and eight rebounds.
Among the other new faces, Darin Smith Jr. made the strongest impression. The Central Connecticut State transfer led Rutgers with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting and knocked down tough shots, including a midrange jumper while drawing contact in the second half.
Rasheed Jones, the Coastal Carolina transfer, had a quiet night, playing 21 minutes and finishing with 4 points on 1-of-2 shooting and four fouls. First-year players Merveti Miteo, Diego Garavaglia and Imhari Wooten logged limited minutes and didn’t leave much of a mark either way.
The returnees had mixed nights, starting with Lino Mark. The sophomore guard handled the ball more than usual because Francis was out, but he couldn’t fully take advantage.
He finished with 4 points on 4-of-13 shooting, though he also had five assists, a steal and no turnovers. Most of his production came late, when he scored 8 points, added a steal and an assist over the final four minutes to help Rutgers make a run.
Still, he missed a layup and then a half-court shot in the closing seconds that would have flipped the result.
Darren Buchanan, Kaden Powers and Jamichael Davis all had trouble slowing down Ohio State transfer Devin Royal, who scored 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting. They also struggled to get going offensively.
Powers had 5 points on 1-of-7 shooting, with his only basket coming on a putback dunk. Davis committed three turnovers and made two field goals.
Buchanan finished with 7 points on 2-of-5 shooting and also had a costly turnover in transition.
Sophomore center Gevonte Ware played 11 quiet minutes and scored 2 points.
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