Rutgers Basketball Dominates Columbia to Conclude 2024: 3 Takeaways

Rutgers basketball finishes an underwhelming non-conference slate with an encouraging win over Columbia.

It was another packed house at Jersey Mike’s Arena and the crowd got exactly what they wanted to see: a show from the Ace Bailey/Dylan Harper tandem, and a Scarlet Knights win. 91-64 was the final, with Bailey’s 24 points leading the way, alongside Harper’s triple-double. Oh, and tack on a triple in the final seconds from freshman walk-on Peter Noble for good measure.

Columbia will still head into Ivy League play with an 11-2 record, and a double digit victory over Villanova. Today, Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa was held below his season average today though, shooting just 7-for-16 from the field and 3-for-11 from deep.

Takeaway #1: Rutgers finally asserts their dominance and runs away with a trap game

These types of contests have been the Achilles heel for Rutgers this year. They have failed to put the nail in the coffin on multiple occasions, and it has resulted in stunning losses to Kennesaw State and Princeton.

When the Scarlet Knights seemingly dominated the first half, but only found themselves up eight, a similar vibe was in the arena. Late in that period, Zach Martini and Jamichael Davis missed wide open threes that could have broken the game open. It was the same story: can the secondary scorers do enough to provide a complete team effort?

This time they ulitmately answered the bell. Jordan Derkack, who overall had another underwhelming  performance, converted on a critical and-one dribble drive to put Rutgers up 13. The Scarlet Knights never looked back from there. Thanks to productive second halves from the likes of Lathan Sommerville and Jeremiah Williams, the game was never in doubt after the under 12 media timeout.

Takeaway #2: The college basketball world is reminded that Steve Pikiell is still a quality coach

When you consider that a team with two projected top-five NBA Draft picks heads into the day at a modest 7-5 record, it is easy to point fingers at the coaching staff. While some of the blame is validated, Pikiell lived up to his positive reputation today and had his way against Columbia.

This first half sequence says it all…Columbia switched into a zone early in the first half and committed to it for most of the game. Initially, it was extremely effective, as the Scarlet Knights went on a 1-for-10 drought from the field. Promptly, Bailey was placed at the elbow and three straight times, drained turnaround jumpers.

Columbia responded out of a timeout with added high ball pressure. The very next possession, Pikiell adjusted by running an action on which Bailey curled to the basket for an easy lob finish. Throughout the evening, Rutgers had the counter for what Columbia’s defense threw at them, and ultimately won the cat-and-mouse game.

Takeaway #3: Columbia’s deficiencies shine through against a talented Big Ten team

Columbia scored 90 against Villanova, a night where they were able to do pretty much whatever they wanted offensively. Rutgers was much more effective in cutting off dribble penetration and making Columbia uncomfortable. The Lions finished with 14 turnovers, which does not even include all of their deflected passes.

Furthermore, Columbia has gotten away with being relatively undersized so far, and they may continue to in Ivy League play. This deficiency was certainly was evident today, though. The Scarlet Knights grabbed 14 offensive rebounds compared to the Lions’ four. Keep in mind that Rutgers is not a particularly physical team either, and typically struggles to defend the rim, but that was not a storyline today.

Columbia is a good mid-major team, but not one that is designed to go toe for toe with premier NBA talent.

Next up for Rutgers Basketball (8-5): at Indiana (10-3) – Jan. 2 at 8:30 p.m. EST

Next up for Columbia Basketball (11-2): vs. Cornell (7-5) – Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. EST