Harper and Bailey Highlight Rutgers Men’s Hoops Scrimmage
A new chapter begins at Jersey Mike’s Arena, as the Rutgers Men’s Basketball team held a preseason scrimmage, unveiling its young roster led by two of the top recruits in the country Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey for the media to see for the first time as Rutgers teammates.
“They’re not sleepers, that’s for sure,” Head Coach Steve Pikiell said of Harper and Bailey. “I think you saw that they’re elite passers, great kids from great families and I’m thankful that they’re here.”
There is no question the kind of budding talent Rutgers has on the floor this season. Harper and Bailey displayed their skills in five-on-five scrimmages, with Bailey knocking down a few mid-range shots, while Harper set the floor with his passing ability.
Reports have been circulating that NBA scouts are already looking at the two Rutgers freshmen who were both five-star recruits out of high school.
“They’re talented players, but, ultimately, they work. They’re good teammates and they really pass the ball at a high level, and I like that and their teammates like to play around them and they’re young. Their best basketball years are ahead of them,” Pikiell continued.
Even the media pressed Pikiell on the raised expectations coming into the season, to which the Rutgers head coach said simply, ‘Bring it on.’
“As far as expectations, bring them on. I love that. Our expectations haven’t changed. We’ve always had high expectations. Just because we get Ace and Dylan, doesn’t mean they go any higher. We expect to be really good this year. We expect to play the best defense on a top-10 defensive team.” Pikiell added.
ROSTER OUTLOOK
While most of the attention was on Harper and Bailey, it’s not lost on anyone that Rutgers has a very talented, and very young roster this season. The roster is comprised of eight freshmen, and only three returning players from last year’s squad: Sophomore guard Jarmichael Davis; Junior center Emmanuel Ogbole, and senior guard Jeremiah Williams, who will be a captain this year.
Williams led last year’s team with 12.2 points per game and started 11 of the final 12 games of the season.
“Jeremiah was the one guy in the gym all the time,” Pikiell said. “He was the guy getting Emmanuel (Ogbole) into the weight room. He really started that journey. He was the voice in our locker room and he was the voice in the huddles.”
Zach Martini will be the other team captain on this year’s squad. Martini is one of four transfer players on the roster having played forward the past three seasons for Princeton. Martini played in all 29 games, averaging 8.4 points per game. He connected on 38.5 percent of his three-point attempts for the Tigers last season.
Added Pikiell: “Once our new guys came in, he was the guy. Zach (Martini) kind of earned that. He had everyone’s respect and showed true leadership.”
Rutgers’ first game of the year is a scrimmage against St. John’s on October 17 at Jersey Mike’s Arena. The regular season tip-off is November 6 against Wagner, also at Jersey Mike’s.
New Study Ranks New Jersey's Most Popular NFL Snacks
12. Mozzarella Sticks
Delicious breaded mozzarella cheese sticks with marinara dipping sauce.
Starting off the list are Mozzarella Sticks, returning an average search volume of 620. Trust me, that count is pretty low, you’ll see as we go further down the list. Were most of you upset like I was? Mozzarella sticks are a SOLID #5, and CERTAINLY better than the #9 spot, but we will get to that…
11. Hot Dog
Delicious chili hot dogs with cheddar cheese and diced onions next to hot dogs grilling on a flaming hot barbecue
Probably one of the most versatile on the 12 on this list, you can put almost anything on a hot dog and it will taste good. We don’t even really know what it’s made of, but we don’t care! Grilled, fried, even MICROWAVED, it all tastes good! Unfortunately, it did not “cut the mustard”, only returning a search volume of 1,010.
10. Pizza
Slice of pizza with pepperoni, olives and green peppers on a serving utensil. Closeup of a cheese pull
Honestly surprising this ended up so high (or low) on the list. With an average of 3,161 pizza places in the state, NOT including chains, Pizza is a readily available option for New Jersey residents. Maybe that’s the problem..it’s readily available. Why go out of your way to get it every Sunday? Another versatile food option, it only returned an average search count of 1,020 — just 10 more than the hot dog. What’s even more surprising is that pizza ranked LAST among footballs fans on average across the country.
9. Popcorn
A wooden bowl of salted popcorn at the old wooden table. Dark background. selective focus.
Returning an average search count of 1,040, this is controversial (at least for me). THIS should be the #12 spot. It’s a movie food! When the game is on, my first instinct is not “Can’t wait to chow down on some popcorn, and get kernels in my teeth”. With that said, I still endure, and I still eat it when it’s around. Butter, Caramel, Cheddar…it’s all good.
8. Potato Skins
Delicious homemade potato skins with melted cheese, bacon, green onions and sour cream.”n
Now we start seeing pretty big jumps in the search count. This bar classic returned an average search count of 1,420. If you find an arrangement of sauces these make a delicious edition to any Football night snacks arrangement.
7. Chips & Dips
Bag chips doritos pattern top view on blue background
Talk about versatility! How many brands, styles, and flavors of chips are there out in the world? How many brands, styles, and flavors of dip are out there? Are you a Doritos person, or a Lay’s person? Are you the one guy who brought Fritos!? Do you like the punch of a spicy salsa? or the smooth flavor of ranch? Personally, grab a Jar of Tostino’s Queso Blanco and I can dip a piece of cardboard in it. I think it’s THAT good! Others agree chips and dip are a staple in the house, returning an average search count of 1,740.
6. Pretzels
Homemade Soft Pretzels with Salt Ready to Eat
The cousin to the chip, the Pretzel returned with a score of 2,010. Whether you enjoy the hard, bite-sized pretzels from a bag, the big and soft salted pretzels, or even the sticks that are perfect for dipping. Pretzels start off the list of the top 6!
5. BBQ Ribs
Barbecue Ribs With Sauсes Closeup. Man’s Hand With Spareribs. High Resolution
The messiest option, but always savory, BBQ ribs jump FAR ahead of the #6 spot with 2,770 for an average search volume. Just make sure you have a napkin on standby…
4. Chicken Wings
A variety of flavors of jumbo chicken Wings and ranch
Another large jump in average search volume, Chicken Wings are another snack that provides a medley of options. Boneless, or bone-In? And if you like bone-in, do you like flats or sticks?
Do you like Buffalo, BBQ, or Garlic Parmesan? In New Jersey, Chicken Wings had an average search volume of 3,420!3. Meatballs
A platter of delicious sweet and spicy meatballs.
Taking home the bronze medal, meatballs step away from the spaghetti dish and plant themselves in the third-place spot for your Sunday snack lineup! Meatballs returned and an average search volume of 5,450! What’s great about the meatball (other than everything), is when you get tired of using a fork, just plop one of those bad boys on a sub roll and you have yourselves a sandwich!
2. Nachos
Beef and cheese corn nachos served on a big plate ready to eat – Image
The runner-up goes to the reliable nacho! Now, I know what you might be thinking, and no, nachos do not count as “chips and dip”. The reason for that…presentation. Nachos are more than just chips and cheese, it’s chips, cheese, salsa, sour cream, peppers, olives, and occasionally, pork, all blissfully blended in one. Nachos returned an average search volume of 13,130!
1. Sliders
Two homemade beef burgers with mushrooms, micro greens, red onion, fried eggs and beet sauce on wooden cutting board. Side view, close up
New Jersey’s top spot goes to Sliders! Sliders returned the largest average search volume with 17,050! Sliders have gotten more creative through the years. But I’m a big proponent of keeping it simple. A nice medium-rare with cheese, ketchup, and onions, and I’m set!
Overall, sliders were the most popular snack choice for the country!
