As they dove deep into film study during winter break, Rutgers basketball coach Steve Pikiell pointed out something to ace guard Geo Baker.

“We broke down a lot of film of me walking the ball up,” Baker said. “It’s something I wasn’t even really realizing during the game. So now it’s something we’re emphasizing. We’ve been working on transition drills to help us get better looks on offense.”

After playing with pace to start the season, Rutgers (7-5 overall, 0-2 Big Ten) has slowed to a crawl. Look for a concerted effort to change that when Maryland (11-3, 2-1) brings its bruising front line to a sold-out RAC on Saturday (2 p.m. Big Ten Network).

“Our focus in practice has been trying to get the ball up the floor faster, advance the ball by passing ahead,” freshman guard Caleb McConnell.

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It makes sense, because Rutgers ranks last in the Big Ten in shooting at 41.0 percent. Why would a cold-shooting squad settle into half-court sets against Maryland, one of the best rebounding teams in the country?

“(Pikiell) wants us to get out and run a lot,” freshman guard Montez Mathis said. “I love that idea. We’re an athletic team so we should be effective in the open court.”

The Scarlet Knights began the season by scoring 14 or more fast-break points in each of the first three games. They haven’t reached that mark since, and over the past four games they’ve averaged just 5.5, including fewer than five against Fordham, Columbia and Maine.

“I feel like we play better basketball if the ball’s being pushed,” junior forward Eugene Omoruyi said. “Running offense at a faster pace helps our team.”

Righting Thiam

One reason why Rutgers’ offense has sputtered is the slump of Issa Thiam, who should be a matchup nightmare as a 6-foot-10 wing but is shooting 0-for-10 over the past three games and just 9-of-39 from the field since the first three games. In December the junior battled illness and lost his starting spot. He played just 10 minutes in last week’s win over Maine.

“Issa’s a really important guy,” Pikiell said. “Physically I want him to start feeling better. We need him to score more, we need him to post more, we just need more production out of him. He’s a better 3-point shooter than he’s shown. He’s going through a tough stretch here. Hopefully the last couple of weeks have helped his body rejuvenate. Hopefully we can get his mind in a great place so he can really start helping us on both ends of the floor.”

Despite his drought, Thiam remains Rutgers’ third-best 3-point shooter (.366). But his overall shooting percentage is .338, which is way down from his .427 clip as a sophomore.

“We definitely need him,” Baker said. “That’s the one thing we’ve been telling him. We need him for this team to be good. His shot’s been a little off, but so has mine. He’s getting open looks and he’s the best shooter on the team. He has to stay positive and his time will come.”

'Going through a war'

Rutgers’ players seem to grasp the challenge ahead. Omoroyi said he’s led several players-only meetings during break to watch film in guys’ dorm rooms and discuss the task at hand.

“There’s been a lot of those chats, teaching the young guys how the Big Ten is going to go,” he said. “No offense, but it’s not like Columbia or Maine. It’s a whole different scene. We’ve been watching video and telling them, we’re going through a war.”

Rutgers is 3-9 all-time against Maryland, including 0-6 in Big Ten play, with each loss coming by double digits. The Scarlet Knights’ last win over the Terps came in 1991 under Bob Wenzel, who will be the Saturday’s color analyst for BTN.

Staff Writer Jerry Carino: jcarino@gannettnj.com.