Rutgers Hosts No. 10 Florida on ESPN2 Thursday Night
Dec 26 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers (7-5) will be working to earn its fourth consecutive victory when it welcomes SEC member Florida (10-2) to the Rutgers Athletic Center on Thursday (Dec. 29) for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The Gators are ranked No. 10 in both the AP and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls. UF is the first nationally-ranked opponent the Scarlet Knights meet this season. The last time RU welcomed a top ten foe to the RAC, it defeated No. 9/10 Villanova 77-76 last season with a four point play that culminated a dramatic comeback.
The game will be available live nationally in high definition on ESPN2 and via the web at ESPN3.com with Garden State natives Bob Wischusen calling the action and Bill Raftery providing the analysis. On the radio, the contest will be broadcast live on the Rutgers Radio Network, WOR 710 AM in New York and WCTC 1450 AM in New Brunswick. Chris Carlin will serve as play-by-play announcer and Dick Lloyd will provide commentary. WRSU (88.7) will also broadcast the game.
Rutgers and Florida have met five times on the collegiate hardwood dating back to 1972, with Gators holding a 4-1 advantage after winning the last four match-ups. The Scarlet Knights have never hosted UF on their home court. The last meeting took place on Nov. 28, 2009 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, with the Gators capturing a 73-58 victory. Dane Miller (Rochester, N.Y.) shot 4-of-4 to score nine points in 24 minutes, while Austin Johnson (Elkins Park, Pa.) made 2-of-2 field goals to post five points in 11 minutes.
Rutgers is coming off a 77-53 home victory over NJIT on Thursday evening. After trailing by eight points early in the second half, RU utilized an 18-0 run to win going away. Freshman point guard Myles Mack (Paterson, N.J.) led four Scarlet Knights in double figures with 16 points on five-of-10 shooting. Rutgers distanced itself thanks to a decided rebounding advantage. RU grabbed 51 rebounds, while limiting the Highlanders to 28 boards. It marked the largest rebounding advantage for an RU team in 10 years. Sophomore forward Gilvydas Biruta (Jonava, Lithuania) shot five-of-11 to score 15 points. Johnson and freshman guard Eli Carter (Paterson, N.J.) each contributed 10 points.
The Scarlet Knights rank second in the BIG EAST in steals with 9.42 per game. Individually, Miller is 4th in the league in blocks (2.0) and Mack is sixth in free throw percentage (.844).
Florida, under the leadership of 16th-year head coach Billy Donovan, has won five straight and defeated rival Florida State at home 82-64 Thursday night. Bradley Beal had 21 points to pace five UF starters in double figures. The Gators' losses have both come on the road, at No. 3/3 Ohio State (81-74, Nov. 15) and at No. 4/3 Syracuse (72-68, Dec. 2). Florida has out-rebounded its opponent in 10 games this season, with Syracuse the only team to win the battle on the glass.
UF's scoring offense is ranked sixth nationally and first in the SEC with 85.8 points per game. The Gators lead the nation with 133 three-pointers and 11.1 per game.
