Rutgers Prepares For BIG EAST Championship
Mar 06 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers heads to the 2011 BIG EAST Championship Presented by American Eagle Outfitters as the No. 13 seed and will meet No. 12 seed Seton Hall in a 2 p.m. tip-off on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. The winner of the contest will play No. 5 seed St. John's in a second round match-up at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. The winner of the 12/13 vs. No. 5 game will play No. 4 seed Syracuse in a quarterfinals contest at 2 p.m. on Thursday.
Tuesday's first round game will be televised live nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN3D. Dave Pasch will serve as play-by-play announcer and Doris Burke and Fran Fraschilla will provide analysis. If Rutgers advances, its second and quarterfinal round games will be broadcast by the same crew on ESPN and ESPN3D at approximately 2 p.m. On the radio, all RU games 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 games.
Rutgers has a 5-11 overall record in the BIG EAST Tournament. The'?Scarlet Knights and Pirates have met once before in Championship play. In a first round match-up in 2006, No. 10 seeded RU defeated No. 7 seed SHU 61-48. Quincy Douby scored 18 points for the Scarlet Knights as the Pirates were limited to 25.4 percent (15-59) shooting. The schools have met 59 times dating back to 1916, with Seton Hall holding a 34-25 advantage in victories. Twelve of the last 14 meetings have been decided by six points or less or in overtime. Rutgers and Seton Hall split its home-and-home series this season, with each club winning on the road.
Rutgers and St. John's have met once before in BIG EAST Championship play, with No. 3 seeded St. John's downing No. 6 seed Rutgers 77-62 in a quarterfinals match-up in 1999. The Scarlet Knights and Orange have also met once before in the BIG EAST Tournament, with No. 3-seeded Syracuse defeating No. 11 seed Rutgers 81-57 in 2005.
The Scarlet Knights enter the tournament on the heels of consecutive road games. Picked 15th in the league's preseason poll, Rutgers finished 13th in a conference that boasted 10 nationally ranked teams this season. It marked RU's best regular season finish since 2005-06, when the Scarlet Knights placed tied for 9th.
Rutgers forward Gilvydas Biruta (Jonava, Lithuania) was named to the 2010-11 BIG EAST All-Rookie Team on Sunday. Among true freshmen in the BIG EAST this season, Biruta ranks first in rebounding (5.4), first in field goal percentage (.531), first in free throw percentage (.736) and sixth in scoring (9.5). He capped the regular season by earning the league's final Rookie of the Week award.
