After Rutgers survived Seton Hall in overtime, 76-70, Jonathan Mitchell took a long sigh of relief. So did St. John’s and Syracuse. Those are the next two potential opponents awaiting the Scarlet Knights, and both were beaten handily by the Pirates in the regular season.
Jeremy Hazell scored a game-high 27 points, including a contested 3-pointer with one second left in regulation to send the game into overtime. The imposing senior guard can be just as prolific a scorer as UConn’s Kemba Walker, who we saw in today’s first game, but he lacks that killer instinct. He didn’t touch the ball on Seton Hall’s crucial possession with less than 20 seconds left in OT. It resulted in a 3-pointer from the second-worst shooting team in the conference.
Mitchell, meanwhile, maybe the player most people should know about but just don’t, kept attacking in the extra session. He finished with 17 points and was part of the defensive effort that held Herb Pope to six points on 3-of-10 shooting.
Rutgers lost to St. John’s 58-56 on Feb. 2. It’ll get a chance for revenge tomorrow in a battle for metropolitan supremecy.
“It was a rock fight at Carneseca at St. John’s,” Rutgers coach Mike Rice said. “It is a big challenge. Love it. We’re on to the next round.”
