New-look Georgetown visits Rutgers for tough early test

Field Level Media|published: Tue 14th November, 15:21 2023

Oct 21, 2023; Queens, NY, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights center Clifford Omoruyi (11) reacts after the St. John's Red Storm call a time out in the second half at Carnesecca Arena. credits: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Everything was going according to plan for Georgetown and new coach Ed Cooley on Saturday at home against Holy Cross.

But in the final eight minutes, the Hoyas blew an 11-point lead to the Crusaders and fell 68-67 in a loss that looked all too familiar from recent seasons under Patrick Ewing.

Georgetown (1-1) will try to recapture the wave of enthusiasm brought by Cooley on Wednesday night when it visits Rutgers (2-1) in the Gavitt Tipoff Games, pitting teams from the Big East against the Big Ten.

It won't be easy against the Scarlet Knights' swarming defense, fueled by the boisterous crowd in their intimidating arena in Piscataway, N.J.

That makes the assignment tougher for the Hoyas, who are seeking cohesion with four transfers and a freshman in the starting lineup.

Georgetown had only four turnovers against Holy Cross, but the offense was hampered by worse shooting from inside the arc (11-for-32) than from outside (11-for-29).

"When you play with a lack of knowledge and you play haphazardly, you're not going to have success over the course of 40 minutes. Not happening," Cooley said.

Rowan Brumbaugh, who redshirted last year at Texas, is the Hoyas' top scorer with 15.0 points per game. Jayden Epps, a transfer from Illinois, had 22 points against Holy Cross.

Supreme Cook, a 6-foot-9 transfer from Fairfield, is averaging 13.5 points and a team-high 11.5 rebounds.

Rutgers counters inside with 6-foot-11 Clifford Omoruyi, who is averaging 10.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, and 6-foot-6 Aundre Hyatt, who leads the Scarlet Knights in scoring at a 13.3 ppg clip.

Another threat is freshman Gavin Griffiths, who scored 25 points in his second college game, propelling Rutgers to a 69-45 victory over Boston University last Friday.

The Scarlet Knights followed with a 66-57 win over Bryant on Sunday as Hyatt scored 19. It was a successful weekend after opening with a 68-61 loss to Princeton on a neutral floor.

"After the Princeton game, we really made a concerted effort the last two games — we're really gonna be a good rebounding team," Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said.

—Field Level Media