Watch: Rutgers’ 1976 Final Four team is honored, 50 years later
Watch: Rutgers’ 1976 Final Four team is honored, 50 years later
PISCATAWAY – The boos rained down on the officials like a series of thunderclaps from the heavens.
For 10 continuous minutes, Rutgers basketball fans filled every crevice of Jersey Mike’s Arena with reverberating jeers after perhaps the worst whistle in the country this season allowed Oregon to force overtime Monday.
With the Scarlet Knights leading by three, freshman guard Lino Mark appeared to rebound his own missed free throw with 15 second left. Instead, shockingly, Mark was called for a foul after two Oregon players grabbed him while he tucked the ball away.
“I actually thought when they blew the whistle, it was on the other team,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said.
Oregon gained possession and subsequently forced overtime with a 3-pointer with four seconds left.
The sequence could have broken a team. Instead, as the old trapezoid of terror shook with anger, it fueled the Scarlet Knights to an 88-85 victory, their first Big Ten triumph.
“I’m proud of this team for showing growth,” Pikiell said. “I was thankful we refocused for those final five minutes and played winning basketball. That was winning time, and we made sure we won.”
What went down in Rutgers’ huddle during the tumultuous moments between regulation and overtime?
“Coached harped on us to make sure we had the energy to fight five more minutes,” said junior guard Tariq Francis, whose 30 points led the way. “Our main thing was: Win this five.”
Pikiell did most of the talking, but junior guard Jamichael Davis, the longest-tenured Scarlet Knight, chimed in, too.
“Let’s keep our composure,” Davis said. “Five more minutes and let’s empty the thanks.”
At first, Rutgers’ guards said, they tried to tune out the boos, which continued well into the extra session. But in the end they embraced the fans having their backs, and it helped keep their intensity up.
“I feel like that was a big motivation,” Mark said. “When the fans get loud we hear it. We feel it. We feed off of it.”
The result was a classic moment in a building that’s had its share of them through the years. And Rutgers (8-7 overall, 1-3 Big Ten) avoided the program’s first 0-4 start in league play since 2016-17, Pikiell’s first season on the banks, while taking a demonstrable step forward.
The Scarlet Knights reeled Oregon in thanks to relentless ball pressure. The Ducks (8-7, 1-3) were playing without injured point guard Jackson Shelstad (15.6 ppg, 4.9 apg) and dealing with tired legs on the back end of a two-game East Coast swing that began with Friday’s grinding win at Maryland. They seemed shocked by Rutgers’ aggression defensively and attacking of loose balls.
“There were a lot of positives, and some of what we saw tonight is exactly what we’ve been seeing in practice,” Pikiell said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but this was a really good win.”
FIVE TAKEAWAYS1. Tariq Francis, take a bow
End the discussion, the debate, the questioning. The junior transfer from NJIT has proven his ability to hang at the Big Ten level (this after scoring 17 points in Friday’s hard-fought loss to Ohio State). He drew six fouls, a game-high, and Oregon could not handle his crafty ability to get defenders off their feet. He was both gutsy and efficient, playing well above his listed height of 6-foot-1.
“That’s one thing I’ve been working on, just trying to play more poised (with the ball),” Francis explained. “I know I shoot a lot of mid-range shots. I know I’m a 6-1 guard guarded by a lot of 6-4s and 6-5s, and they want to block my shot. So just seeing how they’re guarding me, they all want to jump.”
He shot 10-of-16 from the field and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line, added four rebounds and four assists, and committed no turnovers in 30 minutes.
“I don’t know how he does it,” Mark said, “but every time he shoots, I feel like it’s going in for sure.”
Afterward Francis was asked, point-blank, for his message to the many who doubted his ability to adjust to this level.
“I would just say, it’s one of those things were you’ve just got to see for yourself,” he replied. “Everybody’s going to have their own opinions. You can’t force them to believe in you, but at the end of the day, all you can do is be yourself and play how you play – and everybody will see it.”
They’re seeing it.
2. Lino Mark played his tail off
The speedy freshman has earned longer runs in these games, and Pikiell trusted him to run the point for key stretches against Oregon. It was a good piece of coaching, and Mark rewarded his confidence with 13 points on 3-of-6 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws.
“He’s getting downhill, making plays, watching more film, and getting better,” Pikiell said.
Mark was able to break down Oregon’s defenders off the dribble. As importantly, he was a catalyst defensively; his ball pressure at the head of the press disrupted the Ducks to an increasing degree as the game wore on.
His hustle for loose balls ignited the crowd and was reminiscent of the way Geo Baker, Jacob Young, Caleb McConnell and Ron Harper Jr. used to get after it in this building. Mark appears to be cut from that same relentless-motor cloth.
“His play toward the end of the game was phenomenal,” Francis said. “Without him, we wouldn’t be in this position.”
3. Is the press here to stay?
Rutgers is weak inside — its two centers went scoreless against Oregon — so it makes sense to speed opponents up with smaller, quicker guards. The press worked like a charm, forcing 17 turnovers as the Scarlet Knights outscored the Ducks 26-7 in points off turnovers.
That optimal ball-pressure group also features five guys who can handle the rock, which is why Rutgers only committed seven turnovers on the night. Hat tip to junior forward Darren Buchanan, who posted 13 points, three boards and two assists and played solid defense in his best game as a Scarlet Knight.
“We’ve got guys on this team who are great in the press,” Francis said. “Getting after teams, that seems to help our energy.”
Added Mark: “We knew we were playing with such high energy, we could get what we wanted.”
Will the press be a steady part of Rutgers’ defensive diet going forward?
“We’ve gotten a lot better at it and put a lot of time into it,” Pikiell said. “Getting to the free-throw line helps us set our defense and change things up. The more we work on it and show film, the better they get — and they’re starting to be rewarded for that work. It also allows us to play three small guards and open the floor full court.”
He added, “I tell them all the time—it doesn’t matter what size we play. If you rebound, you’ll play. Jamichael Davis sticks his nose in there—he had five rebounds. Grab five rebounds and you’ll be on the floor.”
4. Smaller crowd had an impact
For the first time in quite a while, there were empty seats aplenty for a Big Ten contest. The student section was about 75 percent full, but Oregon did not get the full RAC treatment until midway through the second half.
Then the energy level built until it exploded at the end of regulation. Kudos to the fans who walked out of the building hoarse. They had an impact.
“Those boos were loud – they were loud,” Davis said. “We appreciated the support.”
You just never know what you’re going to witness in this great sport. Monday’s denizens rode the full roller-coaster and will be talking about it for a long time to come.
5. Team is improving
Rutgers shot 30 of 34 from the free-throw line (88 percent) after hitting 13 of 17 from the stripe against Ohio State Friday. It’s a small but important indicator of a team getting its act together. In this particular category, an intra-team contest is fueling improvement.
During pregame shootarounds of late, the Scarlet Knights have engaged in a free-throw competition between the guards and the bigs.
“Guards on one side of the court, bigs on the other, and see who makes the most free throws,” Davis explained. “It’s good, friendly competition, and it reminds us that we’ve got to focus on that.”
Whatever works. Rutgers has three of its next four contests on the road. Up next is a potential wood-chipper Thursday at 16th-ranked Illinois (8:30 p.m., Big Ten Network), followed by Sunday’s home date with Northwestern, then trips to Wisconsin and 19th-ranked Iowa.
That’s a tough stretch, but one thing we learned during this two-game Big Ten homestand? Rutgers is getting better.
“Guys are playing much more connected,” Davis said. “Now let’s use this as a momentum boost.”
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.