PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's basketball holds a 2-0 record after wins over Rider and Maine to open the season. On Friday, the Scarlet Knights have another home game at Jersey Mike's Arena, hosting Lehigh for a 6:30 pm contest.
The game will be live streamed on B1G+ with Dom Savino and Pat Boyle on the call, with Jessica Buckley as a reporter. There will also be a radio broadcast on WFAN with Jerry Recco and Austin Johnson, and a WRSU student radio broadcast on 88.7 FM with Will Carmenaty and Chase Jacoby. Simon Sez will perform at halftime.
The game against Lehigh on Friday is the third game as part of a five-game season-opening homestands for RU at Jersey Mike's Arena. The Scarlet Knights will remain at home to host American next Tuesday (11/18 at 6:30 pm on BTN) and Central Connecticut State next Friday (11/21 at 6:30 pm on B1G+).
The Scarlet Knights have opened the season with a pair of home wins. In the opener, Rutgers pulled away from Rider by outscoring them 59-33 over the final 25 minutes of the contest. Junior NJIT transfer guard Tariq Frances had 20 points in his RU debut with no turnovers, while
Dylan Grant posted 17 points. Against Maine,
Denis Badalau scored 19 points, knocking down four-three pointers in the first half, while
Dylan Grant had his first career double-double with ten points and ten rebounds. Through two games, RU has five players averaging double-digit scoring –
Tariq Francis (16.0),
Dylan Grant (13.5),
Denis Badalau (12.0),
Jamichael Davis (11.5) and
Darren Buchanan Jr. (10.5).
Rutgers leads the Big Ten in fastbreak points, averaging 22.5 per game (25
th nationally). The Scarlet Knights have forced 32 turnovers, averaging 13.5 points off turnovers, and outrebounded the initial two foes 84-69.
Jamichael Davis was named a team captain for the Scarlet Knights this week, head coach
Steve Pikiell announced. Davis has played 65 games as a Scarlet Knight, the only player with over 35 contests played in their RU career. Across that time, with 23 starts, the guard has averaged 5.3 points with 118 assists and 68 steals and a 2.1 assist/turnover ratio.
Davis has played 30.5 minutes per game thus far this season. His backcourt mate,
Tariq Francis, averages 33.0 points per game, while no other Scarlet Knight averages 25+ minutes per game.
The Mountain Hawks are 1-2 in the early going. The team earned a 91-52 win over Division III foe University of Valley Forge. Lehigh also has double-digit losses to a pair of Big 12 foes in then-No. 2 Houston (75-57) and West Virginia (69-47).
The team has three players averaging between 10 and 13 points – freshman Andrew Urosevic (13.0 ppg in 13.0 minutes per game on 9-of-18 from three-point distance), junior Joshua Ingram (11.3 ppg) and junior captain Nasir Whitlock (10.7 ppg).
Lehigh, led by 19
th year head coach Brett Reed, is seeking its first win over a Power Conference foe since defeating Mississippi State in 2016. Lehigh was pegged for eighth in the preseason Patriot League poll.
Rutgers is 69-36 all-time against Lehigh, dating back to the first meeting in 1907. The last meeting between the teams was an overtime, 73-70 win in the 2021-22 season opener behind a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) from Ron Harper Jr. and 16 points and nine boards from Cliff Omoruyi. RU has won 19 of the past 20 meetings against Lehigh dating back to 1967.
