COLUMN: Rutgers women's basketball's lack of depth continues to hold it back
On Wednesday, the Rutgers women's basketball team fell to Illinois 96-68 in a game where it, once again, could not find its footing.
The Scarlet Knights (6-14, 0-7) are now on a nine-game losing streak dating back to Dec. 9, 2023. Rutgers is the only team in the Big Ten to not earn a conference win yet, plummeting the Knights into last place in the standings and sending Rutgers into a free fall that does not seem to have an end.
The Knights entered this season with 11 players on the roster. It was an improvement from the season before, but 11 was quickly cut to 10 when it was announced that graduate student guard Awa Sidibe would be out for the season with an injury.
The number of players seemed to dwindle from 10 to nine. It was evident that head coach Coquese Washington did not have full faith to put freshman guard and walk-on Kennedy Brandt on the court in crucial minutes just yet in her career.
So, Rutgers rolled into the first half of the season with another short roster. The Knights faced their fair share of struggles but were able to stand at 6-5 heading into their toughest stretch of the schedule and the beginning of the battles with their conference foes.
That sixth win against La Salle in early December was the last time Rutgers was victorious. It was clear as day that a shortage of players was the culprit to the Knights' struggles.
It has not helped that sophomore guard and lead-scorer Kaylene Smikle has missed the last five games due to an undisclosed injury.
As shown by last season, it's hard to find success when a team has just three players coming off the bench to play meaningful minutes.
A lot of the team's problems are eerily similar to those of last year. In the 2022-2023 season, Rutgers only rostered eight players, which led to very little rhythm on the court as players became worn out more frequently.
It was also hard to build momentum when the substitutions were being made just minutes after each other. A 12-20 overall record with just five Big Ten wins in 18 conference games was less than ideal and something that Washington hoped to improve this year with moves in the transfer portal and on the recruitment trail.
The additions of hard-nosed junior guard and forward Destiny Adams, dynamic floor general and sophomore guard Mya Petticord, sharpshooting freshman guard Jillian Huerter and speedy freshman guard Lisa Thompson have not proved to be enough to put a curtain in front of the team's biggest weakness: a lack of depth.
When and how the Knights will finally get over the hump and win their first conference game remains a mystery. Sure, Smikle coming back would increase the chances of a victory, but this team's depth problems outweigh their talent.
For now, it will be a struggle for Rutgers to be competitive with the majority of the teams in the Big Ten this season and in the conference's tournament this March.
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