PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's basketball gets back to action on Friday evening. After getting back to its winning ways last Saturday with a resounding win over Wake Forest, the Scarlet Knights will host Bucknell at 5 p.m. on December 23.
ABOUT RUTGERS
Rutgers comes into the game with a 7-4 overall record. The meeting with the Bison comes following a six-day break from action around Rutgers University's finals schedule. The game precedes the non-conference finale on December 30 against Coppin State, giving the Scarlet Knights just two contests in a 15-day span to close out the non-conference slate in the final days of 2022 ahead of the resumption of Big Ten play in January.
The Scarlet Knights' success has come from an outstanding defense, currently allowing opponents to score just 54.7 points per game. RU holds a scoring margin of +15.8. RU has forced an average of 17.73 turnovers per game, nearly 4 turnovers per game than their previous season-high in the
Steve Pikiell-era.
ON THE AIR
The 5 p.m. contest will air on Big Ten Network, with Jason Horowitz on play-by-play duties for the second straight Rutgers game. Regular RU radio analyst Austin Johnson will join him for the broadcast call, with
Geo Baker stepping into the radio color commentary spot for the second time this season alongside Jerry Recco on WCBS 880 AM.
RUTGERS LAST TIME OUT
Following one-possession losses to Seton Hall and Wake Forest, the Scarlet Knights got back on track with a dominating performance over an ACC foe, defeating Wake Forest 81-57. Rutgers shot 58.5 percent from the field, its best field goal percentage since November of 2019, and its best mark against a Power 5 opponent in the
Steve Pikiell-era, dating back to 2016.
The home team never trailed in the game and utilized a 44-16 margin in points in the paint and got contributions from throughout the roster, with five players scoring in double-figures and seven different players scoring between 7 and 15 points in the 24-point victory.
Rutgers collected 14 steals against Wake Forest, the second-most in a game this season after collecting 17 steals in the opener versus Columbia. RU had previously had 14+ steals in a game just five times over the previous six seasons combined prior to doing it twice in the opening 11 games of the season.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
Rutgers boasts the third-best three-point defense in the NCAA, holding opponents to 24.9 percent shooting from behind the arc. RU is also fifth in scoring defense (54.7 ppg), 12th in field goal percentage defense (36.7%) and 13th in steals (10.4 spg). RU leads the Big Ten in turnover margin (+4.4) and turnovers forced (17.73)
STOUT ON DEFENSE
The defense has turned up the pressure this season and currently fifth in the nation and leading the Big Ten in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 54.7 points per game.
Rutgers' current scoring defense is the best mark in the seven seasons under head coach
Steve Pikiell, bettering the 62.6 PPG mark of the 2019-20 squad. Rutgers has not finished a season with a scoring defense better than 62.6 PPG since prior to the 2004-05 season.
RU has held all 11 of its opponents to date to point production that is lower than their scoring average entering the game.
RU has held six of those opponents to a total that is 20+ points below their average and nine to 10+ points below their average. Rutgers has held nine of its 11 opponents to a new season-low in points scored (all but Temple and Miami), and in all eight home games they have held the opponent to a season-low.
AGAINST TOP SCORERS
Rutgers' defense has also been elite at shutting down key scorers for their opposition. A sampling of the opponents who entered the game as the team's leading scorer and were held well below their season average by the Scarlet Knights.
- Damien Dunn (Temple)
Entered: 29.7 PPG
Versus Rutgers: 7 Points
- Tyrese Samuel (Seton Hall)
Entered: 12.0 PPG
Versus Rutgers: 0 Points
- Tyree Appleby (Wake Forest)
Entered: 18.7 PPG
Versus Rutgers: 10 Points
- Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana)
Entered: 19.2 PPG
Versus Rutgers: 13 Points
HOME COOKING
Rutgers is currently 7-1 at home this season.
Over the past four years, Rutgers home records:
2022-23: 7-1
2021-22: 14-3
2020-21: 10-4
2019-20: 18-1
As such, Rutgers enters the game against Bucknell:
21-4 over the past two seasons at home
31-8 over the past three seasons at home
49-9 over the past four seasons at home
A win over Bucknell would represent a 50-9 record over the past four seasons at Jersey Mike's Arena.
ABOUT BUCKNELL
The Bison enter the game at 7-5, fresh off a Wednesday night loss at Richmond forcing a quick turnaround prior to the trip to Piscataway for a Friday evening tip. The team brings a 5-3 record over their past eight games into the meeting. Bucknell is led by Xander Rice with 16.2 points per game and Alex Timmerman has a team-best 6.7 rebounds per game.
Currently No. 239 in the KenPom rankings, Bucknell is boosted by sharp shooting. The Bison rank seventh in the nation in three-point percentage at 41.0 percent per game, 17
th in the nation in field goal percentage (50.1%) and are 24th in effective field goal percentage (55.7%).
THE SERIES
Rutgers and Bucknell will be meeting on Friday for the 30th time all-time, with RU holding a 22-8 advantage in the series. This will be the first time the teams meet since 2000 and just the third time since 1976. 26 of the 30 meetings in this series came in the 29-year span between 1945 and 1976. Rutgers has won 14 straight in the series dating back to 1965. In the last meeting, Rashod Kent led RU with 18 points in a 78-48 win.
WITH A WIN
A victory over Bucknell would represent
- A 8-1 home record this season
- A 22-4 home record over the past two seasons
- A 50-9 record at home over the past four seasons
- A 23-8 record in the all-time series against Bucknell, and the 15th straight win over the Bison
COMMUNITY SERVICE INITIATIVES
A commitment to the community has been emblematic of Rutgers basketball under
Steve Pikiell, with student-athletes community to participating in community service initiatives. The team annually participates in the Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk in New York City in memory of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and help benefit first responders and injured service members. The team has also volunteered at events for the Embrace Kids Foundation, Saturdays in Motion and the Rutgers Day School Clinic.
The season, Rutgers held an exhibition contest against Fairfield in partnership with Eric LeGrand in support of the Christopher Reeve Foundation. At the Rutgers Winter Village against Seton Hall, RU held a Holiday Toy Drive to benefit the New Brunswick Public School District pre-schools.
Additionally, senior guard
Paul Mulcahy has founded his own charitable foundation. The Grateful4 Foundation has the mission to spread the idea of gratitude and inspire a chain reaction of selfless acts. "Gratitude is an underappreciated and undervalued emotion that we believe is super special because it affects and relates to all people," Mulcahy explained. "No matter someone's age, race or socioeconomic status, we believe that everyone can feel a sense of gratitude. No matter what is going on in someone's life, we believe there is always at least four things to be grateful for. Our goal right now is to spread this message of gratitude with as many people as possible."
