MBB Travels to Northwestern Saturday
Feb 25 | Men's Basketball
| Rutgers at Northwestern | |
| Date | Saturday, February 27 |
| Time | 2 p.m. ET |
| Location | Evanston, Ill. | Welsh-Ryan Arena |
| Television | Clay Matvick and Sean Harrington |
| Radio | Rutgers IMG Radio Network - WOR (710) and WCTC (1450AM) Chris Carlin and Joe Boylan |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Northwestern |
| Statistics | Rutgers | Northwestern | Big Ten Conference |
| Social Media | @RutgersMBB  | #RHoops | Facebook/RutgersMBB  |
Rutgers Game Notes
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers (6-22, 0-15) plays its third road game over four dates, when it travels to Northwestern (17-11, 5-10) to meet the Wildcats in a 2 p.m. ET tip-off on Saturday at 8,117-seat Welsh-Ryan Arena. It marks the final regular season away game for the Scarlet Knights, who will be working to earn its initial B1G victory of the season and first Big Ten road win overall. NU will be looking to win its third consecutive home game after losing two straight on the road.
The contest will be televised live on ESPNU with Clay Matvick calling the action and Sean Harrington providing the analysis. On the radio, the match-up will be broadcast live on the Rutgers IMG Sports Network, WOR 710 AM in New York & WCTC 1450 AM in New Brunswick. Chris Carlin will serve as play-by-play announcer and Joe Boylan will provide commentary.
The game will mark the seventh meeting on the collegiate hardwood between RU and Northwestern, with the Wildcats holding a 5-1 advantage in victories. Last season, playing in its inaugural Big Ten Conference game, Rutgers dropped a 51-47 decision to NU in a Tuesday matinee at the RAC. Rutgers held the visitors to just 39 percent (16-of-41) shooting, but was unable to tweak the twine itself, depositing just 30 percent (16-of-53) of its field goal attempts. The Wildcats won the lone meeting in Evanston, 72-55, on Nov. 30, 1987. Three of the six match-ups have been played at neutral sites.
Sophomore forward D.J. Foreman had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, but Rutgers struggled in the second half in an 83-61 loss at Minnesota on Tuesday night. With only nine RU players available, including just six on scholarship, the Golden Gophers benefitted from a 36-12 advantage in bench points to earn the victory. Minnesota shot 46.2 percent (30-of-65), while the Scarlet Knights made 40.7 percent (22-of-54) of their field goal attempts. The Gophers established a 45-35 edge in rebounds, resulting in a 15-3 buffer for the hosts in points off offensive rebounds.
At Minnesota, senior center Greg Lewis (foot) was sidelined for the first time this season. The Scarlet Knights were also without the services of guard Corey Sanders (16.2 ppg, 4.1 apg), forward Deshawn Freeman (13.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg), center Ibrahima Diallo (3.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and center Shaquille Doorson, in addition to Lewis (4.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg).
Northwestern, under the leadership of third-year head coach Chris Collins, suffered a 72-63 loss at Michigan on Wednesday night. UM had a 33-24 rebounding advantage to benefit from a 32-18 buffer in points in the paint. The Wildcats rank 10th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.54). Sophomore guard Bryant McIntosh, who had seven helpers against the Wolverines, is 10th in the country in assists (6.6). He averages 14.0 points-per-game to help lead a strong backcourt that also features the team's leading scorer, Tre Demps (14.6 ppg.).
