The Regular Season - Part II

The 1920 Rutgers team had precious little time to enjoy their dramatic win over Princeton.  Just two days later the University of Pittsburgh invaded Ballantine Gym as part of a sports doubleheader beginning with a Rutgers - Syracuse swimming match at 7:45.  The basketball game against Pitt was to begin immediately thereafter, making for a late night for the attendees.  Trying to maximize receipts the Athletic Department charged separate admissions - 25 cents for the swimming meet and a dollar for the basketball game supposedly because of a "large" guarantee to Pitt.  Even with the high price, there was another "huge crowd," although understandably without the "excitement and tenseness" of the Princeton game.  If the Rutgers team experienced any let down it wasn't obvious as they took the lead from the start and were ahead 18-12 at the halftime break.  The visitors closed the gap to two points during the second half, but Benzoni who had been scoreless thus far, made four baskets "in rapid and spectacular succession" and according to Harold O'Neil, the threat disappeared as quickly as "the free lunch counter" and Rutgers triumphed 41-35.

Home News - February 14, 1920

Fortunately there was week before the next game an afternoon contest against West Virginia as part of Junior Prom weekend so the Home News felt the players would be rested "unless the junior prom activity takes some of the starch" out of them.  The game was played "amid the rustle of silken gowns and faint though excited cries of girl friends" who saw a Rutgers 28-22 win that was "not indicative of the wide difference" between the two teams.  Rutgers led 18-9 at the half and the second half was about even primarily because Coach Hill cleared his bench giving the substitutes a rare chance to play.   If the score of the West Virginia game was deceptive that was not true of the final home game against Carnegie Tech as Rutgers broke open a three point game in the second half winning 46-26.  Three Rutgers players were in double figures, including, unsurprisingly, Meury and Taliaferro with 14 and 12 respectively.  The big surprise was French whose prior contributions had been on defense, but scored 10 points in his best offensive performance of the season.

Daily Home News - March 7, 1920

Rutgers final game of the 1920 regular season was only their second road game, a visit to Hoboken to take on Stevens Tech.  Only limited information survives about the game which had a dramatic ending similar to the Princeton game.  Apparently the team didn't travel together or at least Walter French was with a separate group which arrived too late for him to start the game.  During the first half it seemed to make little difference as Rutgers shocked an overflow crowd of 1500 by jumping out to a 26-12 half time lead.  Playing before a large contingent of family and friends, Benzoni led the Rutgers attack, scoring 24 points, a new Rutgers record for points in a game.  The second half was another matter however, especially after Meury fouled out of the game which triggered a "whirlwind finish by Stevens."  The scored was tied three times in the closing minutes, the final time at 43-43 before, just as in the Princeton game, a foul was called as the timer blew his whistle.  This time, however, the foul was on Rutgers and the Stevens player converted giving the local team a dramatic come from behind victory. Even so, Rutgers ended the regular season with an 8-3 record the best in the school's abbreviated basketball history.

Home News - March 7, 1920

Although there was disappointment at the loss, attention quickly turned to a new and unexpected opportunity.   In the last line of his account of the West Virginia game, Harold O'Neil mentioned that Rutgers had been invited to represent the East in the upcoming National AAU tournament in Atlanta.  The Targum supported the idea arguing it "will be splendid publicity for our school" while the five day absence would not hurt academically since the basketball team's academic performance was surpassed only the track squad.  Reportedly some of the school's trustees supported the idea and the student body began circulating petitions urging the administration and faculty to approve the venture.  On February 25, the Home News announced that "after a great deal of deliberation," the faculty had agreed.  Rutgers was to send a party of ten including just six players with Robert Dornan joining the starters.  While he was originally part of the group, amazingly, it was announced that Coach Frank Hill would not make the trip because of his other responsibilities and the birth of a new child.  While graduate manager of athletics Frederick Heitkamp and trainer "Doc" Jake Besas would provide adult supervision, Captain Calvin Meury would have to take on full responsibility for practice, strategy and in game decision-making.  At least with only one substitute, he didn't have to worry about the player rotation.