Rutgers Hosts Rival Seton Hall Wednesday Night
Feb 06 | Men's Basketball
Piscataway, N.J. - After consecutive road games, Rutgers (12-12, 4-7) returns to the friendly confines of the RAC to meet Garden State rival Seton Hall (15-8, 4-7) Wednesday evening in a 9 p.m. tip-off. The Scarlet Knights will be working to snap a two game skid, while the Pirates will be looking to end a string of six consecutive defeats. Wednesday's game marks the first of the home-and-home series this regular season, with RU slated to make a return visit to the Prudential Center on Feb. 25.
The game will be televised live nationally in high definition on ESPN2 with Bob Wischusen calling the action and Dereck Whittenburg 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 FM) will also broadcast the game.
Wednesday evening's contest marks the 61st meeting between the schools on the collegiate hardwood dating back to 1916, with Seton Hall holding a 34-26 advantage in victories. Thirteen of the last 15 meetings have been decided by six points or less or in overtime. Rutgers is 15-14 all-time at home versus the Pirates. In BIG EAST regular-season play, SHU holds a 19-10 lead. The teams met three times last season, with each club winning on the opponent's home floor during the regular season and RU capturing a 76-70 overtime win in the opening round of the BIG EAST Championship. Four Scarlet Knights posted double-figures in that win at Madison Square Garden, including senior Jonathan Mitchell, who tied a career high with 25 points.
Both Rutgers and Seton Hall are among the nation's top teams in steals. The Scarlet Knights rank 26th nationally with 8.6 per game, while the Pirates place 17th with 8.8 thefts per contest.
Rutgers is coming off a 78-66 loss at No. 25 Louisville Saturday afternoon before 21,298 fans at the KFC Yum! Center. Freshman guard Eli Carter (Paterson, N.J.) shot nine-of-17 to score 24 points, a personal-best in BIG EAST play, with six rebounds. Fellow rookie Myles Mack (Paterson, N.J.) added nine points and three steals. The Cardinals out-rebounded RU 40-25 en route to an 18-2 advantage in second chance points and a 38-22 margin in points in the paint. Louisville made 24-of-32 free throw attempts, while the Scarlet Knights deposited eight-of-nine from the charity stripe.
Seton Hall, under the leadership of second-year head coach Kevin Willard, dropped a 69-46 decision at Connecticut Saturday afternoon. Without senior forward Herb Pope in the lineup, the Pirates shot a season-low 25.9 percent (15-58) and were out-scored 30-18 in the paint. Guards Jordan Theodore and Fuquan Edwin both scored 10 points in the defeat. Pope leads SHU in both scoring (15.9) and rebounding (10.2) and is one of just two BIG EAST players (West Virginia's Kevin Jones) to average a double-double. Edwin leads the nation in steals (3.09), while Theodore ranks second in the league and sixth nationally in assists (6.78). In BIG EAST play, the Pirates are averaging 9.0 steals-per-game.
