Men's Hoops Meets Northwestern in Second Round
Mar 09 | Men's Basketball
| Rutgers vs. Northwestern (Big Ten Tournament) | |
| Date | Thursday, March 9 |
| Time | 9 p.m. |
| Location | Verizon Center | Washington D.C. |
| TV | ESPN2 (Dave Flemming, Dan Dakich, Molly McGrath) |
| Radio | Rutgers IMG Sports Radio Network - WCTC 1450 AM & WOR 710 AM |
| Tickets | Ticket Information |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Northwestern |
| Big Ten Tournament | Tournament Central | Bracket |
| Media Guide | Rutgers |
Washington, D.C. - No. 14 seed Rutgers (15-17) meets No. 6 seed Northwestern (21-10) Thursday at approximately 9 p.m. in the second round of the Big Ten Championship at the Verizon Center. The winner of the contest will advance to play No. 3-seeded Maryland in the quarterfinals at approximately 9 p.m. on Friday. The Scarlet Knights will be working to win multiple post-season conference tournament games for the first time since defeating West Virginia and Georgetown in the 1998 Big East Championship at Madison Square Garden.
One of the nation's most improved teams, Rutgers has more than doubled its win total from 2015-16 (7-25) under first-year head coach Steve Pikiell. The Scarlet Knights, who had the second most difficult conference schedule in the Big Ten according to Ken Pom, earned their first Big Ten post-season victory in a 66-57 defeat of No. 11 seed Ohio State Wednesday night. The win was 11th contest over the past 16 games, including seven of the last nine, decided in single digits, after RU suffered 15 double-digit defeats in Big Ten competition last season.
Pikiell has engineered a plus-134 rank improvement in RPI, as well as major NCAA ranking improvements in rebound margin (+305), scoring defense (+277), three point FG defense (+252) offensive rebounds (+244), rebounds (+238), field goal percentage defense (+238) and blocks (+107). His 9-1 start marked the best head-coaching debut in RU men's basketball history. The Storrs, Conn. native also led RU to its first Big Ten road victory and an undefeated home record in non-conference play.
Rutgers is third nationally in offensive rebounds-per-game (14.75) and ninth in overall rebounds (40.63) to lead the Big Ten in both categories. After out-rebounding the Buckeyes 47-31 in the opening round, the Scarlet Knights have won the battle on the boards 12 times versus league foes, after winning the boards in three conference contests last season.
Thursday evening's game will be televised on ESPN2, with Dave Flemming calling the action, Dan Dakich providing commentary and Molly McGrath offering courtside 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. WRSU (88.7 FM) will also broadcast the game.
Pikiell now has a 15-10 record in conference tournament action as a head coach, including the last 11 seasons at Stony Brook. He directed the Seawolves to the Championship finals in each of the past three seasons, including a title victory in 2015-16, and had a 7-2 tournament record in that span.
Thursday evening's contest will mark the 10th meeting on the collegiate hardwood, and the third this season, between RU and Northwestern dating back to 1969, with the Wildcats holding an 8-1 advantage. On Feb. 18, Rutgers held a four-point lead with under three minutes to play, but was unable to complete the upset in 69-65 loss at a sold-out Welsh-Ryan Arena. Four Scarlet Knights scored in double digits. On Jan. 13 at the RAC, Deshawn Freeman had a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds, but Rutgers dropped a 69-60 decision after leading at the break. Three of the six match-ups were played at neutral sites, including an 80-75 Rutgers victory in El Paso on Dec. 27, 2003.
Nigel Johnson deposited 3-of-6 from behind the arc and 8-of-8 at the free throw line to score 21 points in the win over Ohio State. The Scarlet Knights grabbed 19 on the offensive rebounds to establish a 22-6 advantage in second chance points. RU out-scored OSU 30-18 in the paint and benefitted from a 32-8 disparity in bench scoring to become the first 14 seed to win a Big Ten Conference Tournament contest.
Northwestern, under the leadership of fourth-year head coach Chris Collins, is poised to earn its first NCAA Tournament berth in school history. The Wildcats' No. 6 seed matches its best seed in Big Ten tournament history. NU was also sixth in 2004. Northwestern's 21 wins are a school record, while it reached 10 Big Ten wins for the first time since the 1932-33 campaign. Bryant McIntosh, a consensus second-team All-Big Ten selection, is Northwestern's all-time assists leader with 531 career helpers.
