MBB Hosts Host Minnesota on Senior Day
Mar 04 | Men's Basketball
| Minnesota at Rutgers | |
| Date | Saturday, March 5 |
| Time | 1 p.m. ET |
| Location | Piscataway, N.J. | The RAC |
| Television | Big Ten Network |
| Radio | Rutgers IMG Radio Network - WOR (710) and WCTC (1450AM) Chris Carlin and Joe Boylan |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Minnesota |
| Statistics | Rutgers | Minnesota | Big Ten Conference |
| Social Media | @RutgersMBB  | #RHoops | Facebook/RutgersMBB  |
Rutgers Game Notes
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers (6-24, 0-17) hosts Minnesota (8-21, 2-15) on Saturday in a 1:00 p.m. tip-off in the annual Senior Day game. It will mark the final regular season contest before the Big Ten Championship, where RU will be the No. 14 seed and play the No. 11 seed in a 7 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Prior to tip-off, the Scarlet Knights will recognize senior student-athletes Greg Lewis, Bishop Daniels, Omari Grier, Jalen Hyde and manager Steve Gorin in a ceremony. Throughout their careers, these young men have represented our university with pride, effort & integrity. They have combined to play in 223 games, score 1,054 points and grab 587 rebounds at Rutgers. It will also be Youth Basketball Day at the RAC and the first 500 fans will receive Rutgers arm sleeves.
The Scarlet Knights will be working to earn their initial B1G victory, while the Gophers are coming off a pair of 13-point defeats after consecutive victories.
The contest will be televised live on BTN with Josh Lewin calling the action and Shon Morris 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, as well as on Sirius 93 and XM 196. 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 game will mark the sixth meeting on the collegiate hardwood between Rutgers and Minnesota dating back to 1973, with the Gophers holding a 5-0 advantage. It will be UM's first trip to the RAC. RU dropped an 83-61 decision at Minnesota on Feb. 23. D.J. Foreman had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, but Rutgers struggled in the second half with only nine players available, including just six on scholarship. The Golden Gophers benefitted from a 36-12 advantage in bench points to earn the victory. In the first round of last season's Big Ten Tournament, Rutgers dropped an 80-68 decision to Minnesota at the United Center. The Scarlet Knights suffered a 68-59 loss to No.10-ranked Minnesota at Madison Square Garden in the NIT on March 19, 1973. RU also suffered a 98-59 loss at UM on Dec. 28, 1979 in the Pillsbury Classic.
Freshmen Corey Sanders and Jonathan Laurent combined to score 33 points, but Rutgers dropped a 97-66 decision to No. 2/3 Michigan State on Wednesday evening at the RAC. The Spartans utilized a 50-24 rebounding advantage and 16 three-pointers to earn their ninth win in 10 games. Sanders tallied 19 points and dished-out six assists, while Laurent shot 6-of-7 to contribute 14 points. The rookie duo combined for half of the RU point total, as all but nine of the home squad's points were provided by freshmen or sophomores. The Scarlet Knights shot a sizzling 66.7 percent (16-of-24) in first half to trail 43-41 at the midpoint.
Stephon Sharp scored 16 points and Jordan Murphy added 15 for Minnesota in a 62-49 home loss to Wisconsin on Wednesday. The Gophers were just three for 17 from 3-point range. On Tuesday, head coach Richard Pitino announced the suspension of guards Kevin Dorsey, Nate Mason and Dupree McBrayer for the duration of the season for a violation of team rules. The Gophers will have eight available players, including three walk-ons, on Saturday. Minnesota is locked into the No. 13 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will face the 12-seed on Wednesday.
