Rutgers Hosts No. 16 Louisville Tuesday Evening at the RAC
Feb 21 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers (13-13, 4-10) returns home to play its fifth top 20 ranked BIG EAST foe in the last seven games when it welcomes Louisville (20-7, 9-5) to the Louis Brown Athletic Center on Tuesday for a 9 p.m. tip-off. The Cardinals are ranked No. 16 in both the Associated Press poll and coaches polls. The Scarlet Knights will working to snap a two-game skid comprised of losses of five points or less. UofL will be looking to earn its second consecutive win but has suffered defeats in its last three league road contests. RU has downed a nationally-ranked Louisville club once before at the RAC, defeating the then No. 22 Cardinals 65-56 on Jan. 28, 2006.
The Rutgers Athletics Ticket Office announced a "$9 at 9:00" promotion for the game. Fans are asked to enter the promo code NINE for a nine dollar promenade level ticket to the contest. To access the promotion, please visit the following link: http://bit.ly/dsT6fu.
The match-up will be televised live in high definition on ESPNU with Beth Mowins calling the action and Bob Valvano offering 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. Bruce Beck will serve as play-by-play announcer and Dick Lloyd will provide commentary. WRSU (88.7) will also broadcast the game.
Tuesday evening's contest marks the 10th meeting between the schools dating back to 1975, with the Cardinals holding an 8-1 advantage in victories. The Scarlet Knights are 1-2 at home versus UofL and 1-4 in BIG EAST regular season play. Last season, Louisville captured a 76-70 victory at Freedom Hall. Jonathan Mitchell (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) and Dane Miller (Rochester, N.Y.) both had 17 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
Rutgers is coming off an 84-80 overtime loss to No. 17/20 Syracuse Saturday afternoon before 28,944 fans at the Carrier Dome. Senior guard Mike Coburn (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) shot seven-of-12 to score a season-high tying 18 points in the hard-fought defeat. The Scarlet Knights were unable to overcome a free throw disparity that saw the Orange attempt 47 (34-47) from the charity stripe, while RU shot 33 fewer (9-14) in a game that featured 14 lead changes and 10 ties. The Scarlet Knights had the ball for the final possession of regulation with an opportunity to earn their first win at Syracuse since 1975, but a three pointer was off the mark and sent the contest into extra time. In the additional stanza, the Orange scored nine (9-14) of their 14 points from the foul line, while also out-rebounding RU by a 9-3 margin, to escape with the victory.
Rutgers ranks tied for third in the BIG EAST in steals (8.04) and fourth in blocks (4.88). Individually, freshman forward Gilvydas Biruta (Jonava, Lithuania) is fourth in field goal percentage (.529) and Mitchell ranks among the top 20 in both scoring (12th, 14.8) and rebounding (20th, 6.0).
Louisville, under the leadership of 10th-year head coach Rick Pitino, earned a 71-58 home victory over Connecticut on Friday. Peyton Siva scored 15 points with six steals to pace UofL to a season sweep of the Huskies. Freshman center Gorgui Dieng had his first career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. The Cardinals lead the BIG EAST in steals (9.48) and three-point field goals made (8.81), while placing second in assists (17.67). Individually, Siva is first in steals (2.26) and fourth in assists (5.11). GAME NOTES
