MBB Meets Minnesota in B1G Tournament
Mar 08 | Men's Basketball
| Rutgers vs. Minnesota (Big Ten Tournament) | |
| Date | Wednesday, March 11, 2015 |
| Time | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | Chicago, Ill. | United Center |
| Television | Big Ten Network Kevin Kugler, Shon Morris and Rick Pizzo |
| Radio | Rutgers IMG Radio Network - WOR (710) and WCTC (1450AM) Chris Carlin & Dick Lloyd |
| Game Notes | Rutgers| Minnesota |
| Statistics | Rutgers| Minnesota|Big Ten Conference |
| Bracket | Big Ten Tournament Bracket |
| Social Media | @RutgersMBB | #RHoops| Facebook/RutgersMBB  |
Rutgers Postseason Guide
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - No. 14 seed Rutgers (10-21, 2-16) takes flight for the Windy City to meet No. 11 seed Minnesota (17-14, 6-12) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (ET) at the United Center in the opening round of the Big Ten Conference Tournament. It will mark RU's first Tournament contest as a league member. The winner will advance to meet No. 6 seed Ohio State in the late evening session game on Thursday. RU is seeking a return to the win column, while The Gophers are looking to bounce back after consecutive defeats. The Scarlet Knights' schedule is currently rated No. 11 nationally in the ESPN Daily RPI.
Wednesday evening's game will be televised live on BTN with Kevin Kugler calling the action and Shon Morris and Rick Pizzo providing the analysis. Thursday evening's match-up between No. 6 seed Ohio State and the winner of Rutgers/Minnesota will be televised live on ESPN2 with Mike Tirico handling play-by-play and Dan Dakich and Quint Kessenich offering commentary. On the radio, all Rutgers Tournament contests will be broadcast live on the Rutgers IMG Sports Network, WOR 710 AM in New York and WCTC 1450 AM in New Brunswick. On a mobile device, follow Rutgers IMG Sports Network on the TuneIn Radio app. Chris Carlin will serve as play-by-play announcer and Dick Lloyd will provide commentary.
The game will mark the fourth meeting on the collegiate hardwood between Rutgers and Minnesota dating back to 1973 with the Gophers holding a 3-0 advantage. Earlier this season on Jan. 17, RU fell at UM, 89-80, despite 26 points and eight assists from senior guard Myles Mack and 19 points from senior forward Kadeem Jack. The Scarlet Knights shot 50.8 percent and established a 39-28 advantage on the boards. Minnesota made 10 three-pointers, while also forcing RU into 19 turnovers. As a result, the home squad benefitted from a 26-6 discrepancy in points-off-turnovers. The Scarlet Knights dropped a 68-59 decision to No.10-ranked Minnesota at Madison Square Garden in the NIT on March 19, 1973 with current radio analyst Dick Lloyd at the helm. RU also suffered a 98-59 loss at UM on Dec. 28, 1979 in the Pillsbury Classic.
Rutgers dropped a 79-69 decision at Michigan in its regular season finale on Saturday. Jack shot 10-of-16 to score 21 points to spark an RU offense that shot 52.6 percent (30-of-57).The Scarlet Knights out-rebounded the Wolverines by a 33-25 margin, by were unable to overcome UM's 45.2 percent (14-of-31) performance from behind the arc, as the hosts dished-out 20 assists on 29 made field goals (29-of-57, 50.9%).
Mack, who ranks 35th nationally in free throw percentage (86.0), enters the Tournament ranked among Rutgers' all-time leaders in multiple categories. He ranks second in steals (207), third in free throw percentage (.861), fourth in assists (422) and three-point field goals made (236), and seventh in scoring (1,643). Jack is 12th all-time in blocks (99).
