Rutgers basketball: Good signs in hard-fought loss to Florida State

PISCATAWAY -- It was quiet in the Rutgers basketball locker room after Tuesday's 78-73 loss to Florida State. Then Corey Sanders spoke.

“Corey told us, we’re a step closer," said sophomore forward Eugene Omoruyi, who paced the Scarlet Knights with 22 points. "We’re just a little bit away. That game just showed us how close we are.”

Indeed, questions abounded about Rutgers' ability to step up in class after six wins over cupcakes to start this season. With the help of a rocking RAC crowd of 4,863 — including a packed-to-the-gills student section — the Scarlet Knights held their own in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

“The first thing I said to the guys when we got in the locker room: Pick your head up,” Sanders said. “Those guys (Florida State), they’re going to get on the plane and say, ‘We played a game tonight.’ They probably thought it was going to be a cakewalk, and it wasn’t. This is getting us prepared for the Big Ten. If we keep this going, we’re going to win some games.”

Rutgers (6-1) was seeking its first 7-0 start since the Final Four season of 1975-76.

Florida State (6-0), which is dripping with talent and depth, was facing its first high-major opponent of the season.

"That’s an NCAA Tournament team," Pikiell said of the Seminoles, adding about his own squad, "I’ll coach that team any day of the week.”

Forward Deshawn Freeman paced Rutgers with 15 points and 16 rebounds but went down with cramps at a crucial juncture, with Rutgers up three midway through the second half. Florida State surged ahead and never looked back.

But Omoruyi, who made 9 of 11 field goals and grabbed five boards, kept the Scarlet Knights close by shredding the Seminoles' zone down the stretch.

"He's the most improved guy in our program — I've been saying that," Pikiell said. "When he plays aggressive like that he's a matchup problem. He's going to be a matchup problem the rest of the year."

Here are five takeaways from a high-intensity night:

FIVE TAKEAWAYS

1. Electric atmosphere, led by the students. For the first time in recent memory, the student section was deafening for a November contest. They came early, they stood, they roared. And Rutgers fed off their energy. Guest appearances by notable alums Todd Frazier and Anthony Davis also spiced things up.

"To have the RAC like that this year would be an awesome advantage for us," Pikiell said.

2. Corey Sanders had to carry a big load. The junior got little help from his fellow guards against an aggressive and deep Florida State backcourt. He had to dictate pace, lead the defense and score. He wore down toward the end as C.J. Walker (a career-high 24 points) beat him repeatedly. Still, his solo act was workmanlike: 20 points, five assists and four rebounds in 36 minutes.

"They play a lot of players, keep coming at you in waves,” Pikiell said. “Corey did a great job.”

3. How about those free throws? Rutgers came into the contest shooting an abysmal .577 from the free-throw line. That ranked 346 out of 351 Division I teams. Yet the Scarlet Knights defied the numbers, converting 16 of 20. Eugene Omoruyi, who came in hitting just 10 of 25 from the stripe, made 4 of 5.

4. Omoruyi up, Mann down: On paper, it looked like Rutgers would be challenged to contain 6-foot-6 junior wing Terance Mann (17.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.4 apg, .685 field-goal percentage). But Omoruyi was up to the task on that end of the floor as well. Mann scored just seven and picked up his fourth foul early in the second half.

"My confidence has gone way up," Omoruyi said.

Added Sanders, "I said in the beginning of the year, he's the one who worked the hardest in the summer."

5. Good sign before a rugged road: The strong effort came at an opportune time. This tips off the toughest week on Rutgers’s schedule. The Scarlet Knights head to No. 12 Minnesota Sunday and return home to face No. 3 Michigan State Dec. 5.

“We’re very, very close,” Omoruyi said, holding two fingers close together. “We’re this close, and we’re going to get there.”

Staff writer Jerry Carino: jcarino@gannettnj.com