Rutgers basketball vs. St. John’s: Sizing up an intriguing exhibition

PISCATAWAY – It’s only an exhibition game. Keep that in mind when the Rutgers and St. John’s basketball teams meet Thursday in Piscataway (6:30 p.m., Big Ten Network), with proceeds benefiting the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

But astute fans will remember that last October’s exhibition between these programs illuminated a problem that would dog the Scarlet Knights for the entire season: Their guards could not handle the Johnnies’ defensive pressure.

Most of the faces from that game have changed – sophomore guard Jamichael Davis is the only current Scarlet Knight who played in it – but Rick Pitino’s philosophy is unchanged. The Johnnies will be going 11 deep, pressuring just about every inch of the court.

“They’re a physical team that plays aggressive, and that’s going to definitely help us out in the long run,” Davis said.

Rutgers has upgraded at guard since then – and so has St. John’s. For the Scarlet Knights’ five freshmen, this will be their first taste of college competition.

“It’ll be a good wake-up call for everyone,” Davis said. “I think we’ll be able to adjust well.”

Keeping in mind that there will be plenty of experimentation by both coaches, here are three things to watch:

1. Dylan Harper vs. Kadary Richmond

This is the collegiate debut for Harper, who arrived from Don Bosco Prep with top billing and has looked the part throughout the intrasquad portion of the preseason. Opposite him at point guard is Richmond, an All-Big East postgrad who led Seton Hall to the NIT title last March and played well against Pikiell’s squads in the past.

“He’s got a lot of tricks in his bag, but we just have to play our defense and we’ll be good,” Davis said.

Before a game that counts, Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell would spend time breaking down Richmond’s tendencies for his players. His approach to this will be different.

“We’ll talk to our guys about Kadary Richmond, but I don’t know how (Pitino) is going to utilize him, and quite honestly, I’m more concerned with our own guys in this scrimmage,” Pikiell said. “We’ll spend more time on our rotations and if guys are doing what they’re taught. We’re doing a lot of new stuff.”

How will Harper handle St. John’s traps? How effective are Rutgers’ wings and bigs in helping him as press-breakers? How much will Rutgers feed off of the tempo the Johnnies will force, and will they return the favor? All interesting subplots that start with the two standout point guards.

2. Lineup combinations

The guess here is that Pikiell will start Harper, senior guard Jeremiah Williams, freshman wing Ace Bailey, postgrad forward Zach Martini and junior center Emmanuel Ogbole, with the first wave off the bench being Davis, postgrad wing PJ Hayes and freshman center Lathan Sommerville.

Pikiell, who prefers a deep rotation, will use all available scholarship players in search of the most effective combinations.

“It’s very hard to (gauge) lineups in practice,” Pikiell said. “Say I put J-Mike (Davis) with Dylan Harper, and then I’ve got no point guard on the other team. You can’t do it as much as people think.”

Thursday’s rotation might not include postgrad guard Tyson Acuff, who has just been cleared after missing three-and-a-half months with a broken foot.

“He’s definitely progressing for our first (regular-season) game (on Nov. 6), but I won’t rush him back for a scrimmage,” Pikiell said. “He’s heading in a good direction, but I won’t rush him back for this if he’s not ready.”

Pitino has a strong six-man core with Richmond, sophomore guard Simeon Wilcher out of Plainfield, Utah transfer guard Deivon Smith (who has been sidelined with an injury but may play Thursday), junior wing RJ Luis, 6-foot-9 junior Zuby Ejiofor and North Texas transfer forward Aaron Scott.

3. The battle of the bigs

Both squads are guard- and wing-heavy. How will Rutgers’ centers hold up against the much-improved Ejiofor, a classic banger? Again, look for some experimentation from Pikiell, who hasn’t gotten to see as much of Martini in the middle as he’d like during intrasquad work because of backcourt injuries.

“Zach Martini, I’m going to play him at the five-spot a lot this year,” Pikiell said. “But if guys are out in my backcourt (in practice), he’s got to play the four-spot. To be able to experiment with different lineups is very important in these games, and to be able to get film on guys is very important.”

Last year’s exhibition wound up being a harbinger, but mostly, these preseason games are tinkering labs.

“It’s a good test for us,” Pikiell said, “and at the end of it we’re both going to be 0-0.”

5 PRACTICE TAKEAWAYS

Here are five takeaways from a Rutgers practice late last week.

1. Sticking his nose in there

It’s always fun to watch Pikiell’s rebounding drills, to see who wants it most amid a flurry of sharp elbows. Though Bailey seems destined to be the Scarlet Knights’ leading rebounder this season, Martini was the guy this time.

Not only did he position himself for a series of boards as Rutgers’ assistant coaches intentionally clanged jump shots, but he knew exactly what to do with the ball upon corralling it – going up for the shot when he had it, and passing it to an open teammate when he didn’t.

No one doubts Martini can play at the Big Ten level after transferring from Princeton, but it’s fair to wonder whether he can bang underneath with the big boys. This was a good sign.

2. Shots fell

For the most part, shots fell in the 5-on-5 full-court portion of practice. Bailey, whose 3-pointer has been scattershot, drilled his deep looks. He also looked strong finishing some baseline out-of-bounds plays that are designed to utilize his athleticism. Once again freshman forward Dylan Grant made the most of his opportunities, swishing an open 3-pointer from the corner. That shot has been there throughout the preseason for Grant, and he’s hit it every time this reporter was on hand.

3.  Acuff rusty

In his first full-contact practice since June, the Eastern Michigan transfer looked like a guy who missed three-and-a-half months. His shot was way off, and understandably he’s got some ground to make up in terms of conditioning. It’s wise for Pikiell to reintegrate him slowly – there’s time.

4. Pass of the day

Junior guard Jordan Derkack notched the day’s most impressive assist, a thread-the-needle bounce pass from the left elbow to cutting freshman Bryce Dortch for a layup. Though Derkack is not a point guard, he’s got a good sense for the game, so don’t be surprised to see him initiating offense at times.

5. Group of six

When the team split up into two units for half-court offense instruction, Pikiell worked with the six-man unit of Harper, Williams, Bailey, Martini, Hayes and Ogbole. Read into that what you wish, but it’s another sign of Hayes’ rise up the depth chart after he was the last player added to the roster in the spring.

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 vs. St. John’s: Sizing up an intriguing exhibition