Men's Hoops Travels to Minnesota for Saturday Matinee

Photo by: Mitch Leff

Men's Hoops Travels to Minnesota for Saturday Matinee

Jan 10 | Men's Basketball

Watch Live Listen Live Live Stats Rutgers Game Notes Minnesota Game Notes Big Ten Notes

RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS (8-6, 1-3) AT RV/RV MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS (12-3, 2-2)
SATURDAY, JAN. 12, 2019 | 12:30 P.M.
WILLIAMS ARENA (14,625) | MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.

TV: BTN (Cory Provus, play-by-play & Bob Wenzel, analyst)
Radio: Rutgers IMG Sports Network (WCTC 1450 AM/WOR 710 AM/XM 387) (Jerry Recco & Joe Boylan); WRSU 88.7 FM (Justin Sontupe & Jake Ostrove)

Series Record: Minnesota leads 7-2
Last Meeting: Rutgers 65, Minnesota 54 (Feb. 28, 2018 at Madison Square Garden)

OPENING TIP: Rutgers returns to the rugged road of the Big Ten to take on Minnesota Saturday afternoon at Williams Arena. The Gophers are receiving votes in both polls. The match-up is the second of seven games over nine contests for the Scarlet Knights against foes either ranked or receiving votes.

Rutgers is coming off a 64-61 home win over No. 16/17 Ohio State Wednesday evening. Three first-year players scored in double figures to ensure Rutgers' first win against a ranked foe since defeating No. 15 Seton Hall at the RAC last season and first against a Big Ten opponent since downing No. 4 Wisconsin at home in Jan. 2015. Freshman Montez Mathis scored 16 points, setting a new career-high for the second straight game. 40 of RU's 64 points were scored by first-year players, with rookie Ron Harper Jr. (12) and first-year junior Shaq Carter (11) joining Mathis in double-figures.

THE SERIES: Saturday signals the 10th meeting in the series dating back to 1973, with Minnesota holding a 7-2 advantage. The Gophers are one of four Big Ten opponents that RU has defeated multiple times as league foes (Ohio State, Wisconsin and Penn State). The Scarlet Knights claimed a 65-54 win last season in the Big Ten Tournament at Madison Square Garden and also earned a 75-52 home win to conclude the 2016 regular season.

THE OPPONENT: Under sixth-year head coach Richard Pitino, Minnesota is 12-3 (2-2), with a 7-1 home record. The Gophers dropped an 82-67 home decision to Maryland on Tuesday. Minnesota, which boasts four players averaging double-digits, has earned ranked wins over No. 24 Nebraska and at No. 22 Wisconsin. Amir Coffey leads the squad with 15.5 points-per-game, while Jordan Murphy is first with 12.0 rebounds-per-game and is second in scoring (14.5). Murphy paces the Big Ten and is second nationally in rebounding, while also ranking second in the league with nine double-doubles. UM has gotten to the free throw line 411 times, the ninth most attempts in the nation.

CONNECTIONS: RU graduate center Shaquille Doorson and junior guard Issa Thiam both attended Spain's Canarias Basketball Academy, which also produced UM redshirt senior Matz Stockman.

COACHING COMPARISON
Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell
Overall Record (years): 228-199 (14th)
Rutgers Record (years): 38-43 (3rd)
Record vs. Minnesota (RU): 1-2
Record vs. Minnesota (overall): 1-2

Minnesota Head Coach Richard Pitino
Overall Record (years): 120-95 (7th)
Minnesota Record (years): 102-81 (6th)
Record vs. RU (Minnesota): 5-2
Record vs. RU (overall): 5-2

SCARLET KNIGHT NOTABLES

Per KenPom.com analysis, Rutgers is among the nation's youngest teams with 1.17 years of experience to rank 313th
nationally out of 353 Division I programs. The D-I average is 1.68 years.
Rutgers ranks 14th nationally in offensive rebounds per game (13.93), 33rd in scoring defense (63.9), 36th in blocked shots (4.9) and 37th in rebounds per game (40.14) RU is among the top five in the Big Ten in eight stat categories, including first in offensive rebounds (13.93).
Seventeen of Rutgers' 30 regular season games (56%) are against opponents currently ranked or receiving votes in the polls. Five Big Ten programs that have won NCAA titles will compete in Piscataway, including five-time champion Indiana.
Eugene Omoruyi's 17 rebounds vs. BU marked the most for a Rutgers player since Adrian Hill grabbed 18 versus Notre Dame on March 3, 2007, a span of 12 seasons.
Against Eastern Michigan, Rutgers allowed four points in the opening half to tie the NCAA D-I record for fewest points allowed in a half during the shot clock era (since 1985-86). The 36 points allowed also tied the school record, matching the defensive effort against Columbia (60-36) on Nov. 18, 2002 in the preseason NIT at the RAC.
In the shot clock era, Rutgers has held an opponent under 40 points eight times. Steve Pikiell has been the head coach in four of those contests.
Per KenPom.com analysis, Rutgers is among the nation's tallest teams with an average height of 79.0" to rank sixth among all D-I programs.

QUOTABLE
"Rutgers is a tough team. They compete with everybody. Geo Baker probably will take on a large responsibility, and he's a good player. Rutgers will beat you up. They're really physical and big. They are going to try and obliterate you on the glass, physically try and overpower you."
- Minnesota Head Coach Richard Pitino