MBB Hosts Indiana Wednesday in B1G Opener
Dec 29 | Men's Basketball
| Rutgers vs. Indiana | |
| Date | Wednesday, December 30 |
| Time | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | Piscataway, N.J. | The RAC |
| Television | ESPN2 |
| Radio | Rutgers IMG Radio Network - WOR (710) and WCTC (1450AM) |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Indiana |
| Live Stats | |
| Tickets | Buy Tickets |
| Team Info | Online Media Guide |
| Statistics | Rutgers | Indiana | Big Ten Conference |
| Social Media | @RutgersMBB  | #RHoops | Facebook/RutgersMBB  |
Rutgers Game Notes Feature from Tom Luicci: Rutgers Ready for Big Ten Play
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers (6-7) opens Big Ten Conference play when it hosts Indiana (10-3) on Wednesday in a 1 p.m. tip-off at the RAC. The Scarlet Knights will be working to earn their third consecutive victory on a quick turnaround, after last playing Monday evening. The Hoosiers have won five straight and are receiving votes in the USA Today coaches poll. It will be Combo Meal Wednesday at the RAC and the ZOOperstars, a mascot inflatable entertainment show, will perform at halftime.
Wednesday afternoon's game will be televised live on ESPN2 with John Brickley calling the action and Craig Robinson providing the analysis. On the radio, the contest will be broadcast live on the Rutgers IMG Sports Network, WOR 710 AM in New York & WCTC 1450 AM in New Brunswick, as well as on Sirius 145 and XM 195. Chris Carlin will serve as play-by-play announcer and Joe Boylan will provide commentary. WRSU (88.7 FM) will also broadcast the game.
The contest will mark the fourth meeting on the collegiate hardwood between RU and IU, with the Hoosiers winning the prior three match-ups, including 84-54 victory on Feb. 22 at the RAC last season in the most recent meeting. Greg Lewis made 5-of-10 field goal attempts to score 13 points, while securing eight rebounds in the loss. Indiana shot 53.4 percent (31-of-58) and out-rebounded Rutgers, 45-32. The first meeting between the schools occurred on Dec. 27, 1980 at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. Clarence Tillman had 15 points and Kelvin Troy contributed 13 in the 55-50 loss to then No. 15 Indiana.
Rutgers shot season-bests of 53.7 percent (36-of-67) overall and 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from behind the arc in an 89-66 home victory over UMass-Lowell Monday evening. Senior guard Omari Grier posted 22 points and freshman point guard Corey Sanders added 20 to help the Scarlet Knights close out their non-conference campaign in convincing fashion. Grier and Sanders paced four Scarlet Knights in double figures. Grier was 8-of-11 from the field and 6-of-7 from behind the arc, which tied for the third best performance from three-point range in RU history. Sanders was 8-of-14 from the field and 3-of-5 from three with seven rebounds and four assists. Freshman forward Jonathan Laurent had his first career double with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting with 15 rebounds, while sophomore guard Mike Williams added 10 points.
Sanders, the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, leads Conference freshmen in scoring (14.0) and steals (1.6), and is second in assists (3.5).
Indiana, under the leadership of eighth-year head coach Tom Crean, has had an eight day break after a 99-72 home victory over Kennesaw State on Dec. 22. The Hoosiers are 2nd in the country in FG percentage, 3rd in scoring, 4th in three-point FG percentage, 7th in three-point field goals made, 13th in scoring margin, 17th in assists and 29th in steals. Senior Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell enters his final conference season as the active leader in scoring (1,588), assists (515), three-point field goals made (215) and is the only senior in the league to have started every game he has played (115). He is currently ninth in the Big Ten in scoring, fourth in assists, and second in free throw percentage.
