MSU basketball beats Rutgers: Video analysis of MSU’s win in New York
Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch and Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari analyze MSU’s win over Rutgers in New York.
The county tournaments are poised to produce champions and the state tournament seeding is about to drop. Here are the final rankings and notebook of the regular season for the Greater Middlesex Conference and southern Union County
(records in parenthesis, through Saturday)
1. Colonia (21-4) — last week No. 1 — The Patriots began the week with a non-conference win over Dickinson and advanced in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament with 20-point victories over Monroe and Woodbridge. Colonia faces St. Thomas Aquinas, which it has defeated twice, in the GMCT semifinals on Wednesday.
2. Piscataway (21-4) — last week No. 2 — The Chiefs extended their winning streak to nine games with one-sided triumphs over North Brunswick and Timothy Christian in the GMCT. Piscataway takes on Sayreville, which it defeated in December, in the GMCT semifinal round.
3. Linden (13-10) — last week No. 3 — The Tigers began the week by edging St. Thomas Aquinas and defeated Cranford in the Union County Tournament before falling to Union Catholic for the third time this season in the UCT quarterfinals. Linden awaits its pairing for next week’s start of the state tournament.
4. Sayreville (20-3) — last week No. 4 — The Bombers had their 10-game winning streak snapped by Robbinsville, then posted OT wins over Metuchen and South Plainfield in the GMCT. Sayreville gets a second shot at Piscataway, which defeated it in December, in Wednesday’s GMCT semifinals.
5. St. Thomas Aquinas (15-9) — last week No. 5 — The Trojans began the week with losses to Union County powers Linden and Elizabeth, then advanced to the GMCT semifinals with victories over Perth Amboy and Old Bridge. St. Thomas confronts top-seeded and defending champion Colonia on Wednesday.
6. Old Bridge (14-10) — last week No. 7 — The Knights began the week by blasting South Plainfield in a regular-season contest and extended their winning streak to eight games by defeating North Plainfield before falling to St. Thomas in the GMCT quarterfinals.
7. South Plainfield (16-8) — last week No. 6 — The Tigers dropped a regular-season outing against Old Bridge and defeated Middlesex in the GMCT before losing in overtime to Sayreville in the quarterfinals. South Plainfield will prepare for the start of the state tournament with non-conference games against Pingry and Ridge this week.
8. Rahway (12-11) — last week No. 8 — The Indians eliminated New Providence from the Union County Tournament, then posted the tournament’s only first-round upset by knocking off Scotch Plains-Fanwood on the road, before losing to Union Catholic in Saturday’s quarterfinals. Rahway has three state tournament tune ups scheduled for this week, against Woodbridge, North Plainfield and Roselle.
9. Woodbridge (12-10) — last week No. 9 — The Barrons defeated East Brunswick in GMCT action, before falling to top-seeded Colonia in Saturday’s quarterfinals. Woodbridge faces Rahway on Wednesday.
10. Timothy Christian (14-8) — last week No. 10 — The Tigers eliminated Perth Amboy Magnet, then defeated St. Joseph in, arguably, the biggest win in school history, to advance to the GMCT quarterfinals, where they lost to cross-town rival Piscataway. Timothy Christian hosts Essex County Tournament finalist Payne Tech in a friendly on Monday.
OTHERS RECEIVING CONSIDERATION: East Brunswick (13-11), Middlesex (16-8), North Brunswick (9-15), Perth Amboy (12-11), Spotswood (15-9)
Form has once again prevailed in the GMC Tournament, as the seeding committee has been nearly spot on in its assessment. The only seeding upset in the first round occurred when 10th-seeded Timothy Christian defeated No. 7 St. Joseph, which was hardly an upset to most. The top 4 seeds all advanced Saturday to the semifinal round.
Sayreville required overtime to defeat South Plainfield for a third time this year, 77-70. The Bombers relied on a balanced attack led by Sam Jones and Chidi Chukwurah, and the steady inside play of Keithan Shuler to advance, with Christian Torres directing traffic and distributing 12 assists.
St. Thomas jumped out to a 12-point lead after three minutes, then had to fend off a stubborn Old Bridge squad for a 71-62, quarterfinal-round decision. Aiden Ur once again led the attack with 23 points while the savvy play of sophomore point guard Aidan Carter continues to spark the Trojans.
Piscataway forced 20 second-half turnovers as it outscored Timothy Christian by a 65-31 margin in its 94-61 romp. Senior Nate Davis continues to lead a deep and talented squad while Jayden Harrison stepped up on the inside, delivering 12 consecutive Chiefs points in the second quarter.
Aiden Derkack registered 33 points in Colonia’s 72-51 triumph over Woodbridge, but it’s the Patriots’ continued willingness to play together and in their individual roles that has this team sitting atop the GMC once again. Freshman Jayce Rodriguez, son of coach Jose Rodriguez, drilled four 3s against the Barrons and as his game continues to flourish, so do the Pats.
Wednesday at Monroe High School
No. 2 seed Piscataway vs. No. 3 Sayreville, 5 p.m.
Piscataway has struck for 80 or more points in each of its last four outings, averaging 86.8 over that span. The Chiefs edged Sayreville in December, before Bombers transfer Christian Torres was eligible, but Piscataway has gained much experience and confidence and is vastly improved as well.
No. 1 seed Colonia vs. No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas, 7 p.m.
The Patriots required double overtime to defeat St. Thomas in January, but prevailed by 16 points in their second meeting, later that month. St. Thomas only dressed eight players for Saturday’s quarterfinal victory over Old Bridge, and that might not be enough against Colonia’s depth, unless STA can put all eight on the court at the same time in this rematch of last year’s title game.
