Game 2: Men's Basketball Set to Battle Dragons On Sunday

Photo by: Rich Graessle

Game 2: Men's Basketball Set to Battle Dragons On Sunday

Nov 10 | Men's Basketball

Tickets Watch: BTN Plus Listen Live Live Stats Rutgers Game Notes Drexel Game Notes Drexel Game Day Flipcard

Drexel Dragons (0-1) at Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-0)
Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018 | 3 p.m. ET
The RAC (8,000) | Piscataway, N.J.

TV: BTN Plus (Ralph Bednarczyk, play-by-play; Danny Breslauer, analyst)
Radio: Rutgers IMG Sports Network (WCTC 1450 AM/WOR 710 AM), XM 201 (Jerry Recco & Joe Boylan) and WRSU 88.7 FM (Stephen Nelson & Sam Marsdale)
Series Record: Rutgers leads 14-2
Last Meeting: Rutgers 87, Drexel 66 (Nov. 13, 2016 at the RAC)

PROMOTION(S): $10 tickets with ticket stub from Saturday's Rutgers-Michigan football game at HighPoint.com Stadium.

OPENING TIP: Rutgers hosts regional rival Drexel on Sunday afternoon in the second of four games in the Hub City Classic. The Scarlet Knights will work to improve upon their 19-3 record in non-conference home games under head coach Steve Pikiell.

Six players scored in double digits to help Rutgers to a season-opening 90-55 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson Friday evening at the RAC. RU deposited 12 3-pointers and out-scored the visitors 47-22 after the break. Co-captain Eugene Omoruyi had 14 points and 10 rebounds to register his first career double-double on 6-of-12 shooting. He was joined in double digits by Peter Kiss, Ron Harper, Jr., Issa Thiam, Geo Baker and Montez Mathis. Kiss shot 7-of-9 and Harper 7-of-8 to score 17 and 15 points, respectively, in their first career games in Scarlet. Thiam added 11 points and both Baker and Mathis contributed 10. The Scarlet Knights dished-out 22 assists and forced 22 FDU turnovers, while shooting 60% (12-of-20) from behind the arc.

THE SERIES: Rutgers and Drexel have met 16 times on the collegiate hardwood, with the Scarlet Knights holding a 14-2 advantage. Rutgers is 13-2 all-time at home versus DU and 5-2 at the RAC. The last match-up marked Pikiell's second game at the RU helm. Rutgers earned a 87-66 victory that Sunday afternoon at the RAC, as Pikiell became the first RU men's basketball coach to open his tenure with consecutive 20-plus point victories. The Scarlet Knights out-rebounded the Dragons by a 56-29 margin and had six players score in double figures.

THE OPPONENT: Under third-year head coach Zach Spiker, Drexel is picked ninth in the CAA Preseason Coaches/Media Poll. Junior guard Kurk Lee was an honorable mention preseason all-conference selection after averaging 12.4 points-per-game. The Dragons suffered a 66-62 season-opening loss at Eastern Michigan Friday in a contest that featured four ties and six lead changes. Led by guard Trevor John (19), a graduate transfer from Cal Poly, three Drexel players scored in double figures. The Dragons were out-scored 32-14 in the paint.

COACHING COMPARISON

Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell
Overall Record (years)........................ 222-193 (14th)
Rutgers Record (years)............................ 31-37 (3rd)
Record vs. Drexel (RU)........................................ 1-0
Record vs. Drexel (overall)................................... 1-0

Drexel Head Coach Zach Spiker
Overall Record (years)....................... 124–156 (10th)
Drexel Record (years)............................. 22–44 (3rd)
Record vs. RU (Drexel)........................................ 0-1
Record vs. RU (overall)....................................... 0-1

SCARLET KNIGHT NOTABLES

• With the 90-55 win over FDU, the Scarlet Knights reached the 90-point mark in back-to-back season openers after handing CCNY a 94-38 loss in 2017-18. RU knocked down 12 3-pointers, its most since sinking 13 at George Washington on Dec. 4, 2013. Rutgers shot 12-of-20 (60%) from 3-point range, its best performance since going 10-of-16 (62.5%) against UMass-Lowell on Dec. 28, 2015. The Scarlet Knights also dished-out 22 assists, their most since handing out 24 vs. Central Connecticut State on Dec. 6, 2016.

• Rutgers returns seven scholarship lettermen, including 2017-18 redshirts Peter Kiss and Myles Johnson, from a team that advanced to the 2018 Big Ten quarterfinals at MSG via victories over Minnesota and Indiana. It marked the first time RU won two conference tournament games since 1998. Four players who started in the B1G Championship return in co-captains Shaquille Doorson and Eugene Omoruyi, Issa Thiam and MET Rookie of the Year Geo Baker.

• The Scarlet Knights must replace two regular season starters, six scholarship letterwinners, 55% of its scoring and 48% of its rebounding from last season. Eleven of Rutgers' 30 regular season games in 2018-19 are against opponents ranked or receiving votes in the preseason polls.

• Rutgers welcomes a signing class that includes multiple (Montez Mathis, Ron Harper, Jr.) four-star players for the first time since 2008. Junior college transfer Shaq Carter is a preseason Big Ten All-Newcomer selection by Street & Smith's.

• Five Big Ten programs that have won NCAA men's basketball titles will compete in Piscataway, including five-time champion Indiana.

• Rutgers battles upon a new surface in 2018-19. An outline of the State of New Jersey is displayed prominently at center court, along with Block R spirit mark, on the newly-installed hardwood. The illustration projects the Scarlet Knights' state pride.