Men's Hoops Travels to No. 16 Purdue Tuesday
Feb 13 | Men's Basketball
| Rutgers at No. 16 Purdue | |
| Date | Tuesday, February 14 |
| Time | 7 p.m. |
| Location | Mackey Arena | West Lafayette, Ind. |
| Video | BTN (Jeff Levering and Stephen Bardo) |
| Radio |
Rutgers IMG Sports Radio Network - WCTC 1450 AM & WOR 710 AM |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Purdue |
| Media Guide | Rutgers |
Rutgers Interactive Game Notes
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers (13-13, 2-11) plays its 10th game away from the RAC over 16 contests when it travels to West Lafayette to meet No. 16 Purdue (20-5, 9-3) in a 7 p.m. (ET) tip-off on Tuesday. The Scarlet Knights will be working to return to the win column and earn their first win over a nationally-ranked foe since a 67-62 home decision over No. 4 Wisconsin Jan. 11, 2015. RU's most recent road victory over a ranked opponent was a 77-64 win at No. 13 Pittsburgh on Jan. 26, 2008. The Boilermakers have won six of their last seven games, including three straight, and are 12-2 at home.
Seven of Rutgers' last 10 games have been decided in single digits. Last season, 15 of the Scarlet Knights' 17 conference losses were by double digits.
Rutgers is third nationally in offensive rebounds-per-game (15.12), fourth in rebounds (41.69), 22nd in rebound margin ( 6.7), 24th in blocks (5.2) and 26th field goal percentage defense (40.1). Purdue is second in assists (18.8), fourth in three-point field goal percentage (41.8), seventh in scoring margin ( 15.0), 18th in assist-turnover ratio (1.41) and 22nd in free throw percentage (76.0).
Tuesday evening's game will be televised on BTN, with Jeff Levering calling the action and Stephen Bardo 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. Jerry Recco will serve as play-by-play announcer and Joe Boylan will provide commentary.
The contest will mark the ninth match-up on the collegiate hardwood between RU and Purdue dating back to 1953, with the Boilermakers holding a 7-1 advantage, including five straight victories. Last season, Corey Sanders posted 23 points in a 107-57 loss to No. 22 Purdue at the RAC. RU is 0-4 on the road in the series, including a 92-85 loss at Mackey on Feb. 26, 2015. Rutgers defeated Purdue 81-73 at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 4, 1975 during the team's 31-0 start en route to the Final Four.
Rutgers had three players score in double figures and committed its fewest turnovers in a Big Ten game this season, but was unable to overcome its struggles at the free throw line in a 72-63 home loss to Minnesota Saturday afternoon. The Scarlet Knights were 10-of-22 at the charity stripe, while the Gophers deposited 13-of-15. Rutgers was within five with possession in the final stages, but a three-point attempt by Nigel Johnson with just over a minute to play rattled-out in another hard-fought defeat. Mike Williams and C.J. Gettys both scored 14 points and Sanders added 13 to pace the RU offense.
Vincent Edwards matched his career-high with 26 points, and Caleb Swanigan added 16 points and 14 rebounds, as Purdue used a late charge to win at Indiana, 69-64, Thursday night. The Hoosiers led 57-55, but the Boilermakers scored seven straight to push ahead for good. Purdue is 9-3 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2010-11 and has 20 wins in the first 25 games for the 11th time since the 1979-80 season (38 years), and the fifth time under Matt Painter. The Boilermakers, who boast five players with double figure scoring averages, are 17-1 this season when holding opponents under 48.0 percent shooting.
