Friday, January 2
Piscataway, N.J.
8 PM
Rutgers University
vs
Ohio State
Men’s Basketball Returns to Big Ten Play Hosting Ohio State Friday
Dec 30 | Men's Basketball
8 PM Friday Night Game on Peacock
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's basketball heads back into Big Ten Conference play as the Scarlet Knights host Ohio State on Friday, January 2. The game is at 8 p.m., with a broadcast on Peacock, with Ed Cohen and Evan Turner on the call.
Rutgers was boosted by Dylan Grant and Tariq Francis in the team's last win against Delaware State. Dylan Grant had his third double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds with his first double-digit rebounding performance since November 18.
Francis, the reigning Big Ten Co-Player of the Week following a 34-point and game-winner performance against Penn, had 19 points. He is 22-of-26 at the free throw line over the past two contests. He shoots 86.0% for the year at the line.
Grant has scored in double figures in 11 of his 13 games. Francis has reached double-figures eight times.
Against the Hornets, Rutgers hauled in a season-high 52 rebounds and a season-high 21 offensive boards. The 52 rebounds were the most since RU grabbed 56 rebounds against Nebraska on January 17, 2024 during the 2023-24 campaign, a 59-game span. Rutgers was able to utilize a 27-7 advantage in second chance points, 52-28 in rebounding and a 24-of-29 mark at the free throw line to earn the 15-point win, matching RU's largest margin of victory on the season, despite shooting a season-low 29.8 percent from the field and 7-of-27 from the three-point line.
Rutgers 17 field goals vs. DSU were the fewest in a win since defeating Stonehill 59-58 on Dec. 30, 2023 on 16-of-62 shooting. The Scarlet Knights took advantage of free throws to earn the victory, shooting a season-high 82.8 percent from the charity stripe.
Ohio State re-enters Big Ten play with a 9-3 overall mark and 1-1 league record, having been off since December 23. The Buckeyes split the initial league slate with a road win over Northwestern and home loss to Illinois. OSU defeated mutual foe Notre Dame, West Virginia, and six foes from lower ranked conferences. Their resume also includes losses to Putt and UNC, each by one point.
OSU has faced just three teams currently in the top-60 of KenPom and just six in the top 200. Rutgers by comparison has played three top-20 teams and five in the top-60.
OSU shoots 78.8 from the free throw line, seventh nationally and top in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are also fourth in the league with a scoring output of 86.3 points per game.
Bruce Thorton averages 21.0 points per game, third in the Big Ten and 17th nationally. His 87 field goals are most in the league. Thorton has averaged 15.3 career points over 114 games and starts as a Buckeye (over 1,700 career points) and is a two-time All-Big Ten pick and was on the Watch List for the Bob Cousy and Wooden Awards.
John Mobley Jr. (14.3 ppg), Devin Royal (14.0) and Christoph Tilly (13.3) all supplement the scoring. Tilly comes to OSU as a senior after the 7 foot center played three seasons at Santa Clara. Royal is a junior who averaged 13.7 points last year as a first-time starter while Mobley is a sophomore who averaged 13.0 ppg as a freshman last year. Freshman Amare Bynum adds 8.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. Royal and Thorton each scored 22 points in the last meeting against RU, shooting 17-of-25 combined (68 percent).
The Buckeyes do not have a player averaging at least 6 rebounds a game, nor anyone qualifying for national rankings in blocks or steals.
Rutgers and Ohio State will match up for the 20th time in history, with the past 19 of those coming since 2015, RU's first year in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes lead the series 14-5. Rutgers is 2-4 in the last six meetings after going 2-10 in the first 12 meetings as Big Ten foes, while OSU has won three straight.
Rutgers faced OSU just once last season, an 80-66 road loss in December in the Big Ten opener. Emmanuel Ogbole had 10 points and five rebounds in that game. The Scarlet Knights have three home wins over OSU (2019, 2022, 2023). The last win over the Buckeyes was on January 15, 2023, a 68-64 overtime win for RU behind 21 points from Cam Spencer, a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds, six blocks) from Cliff Omoruyi and a game-winning three-pointer later in overtime by Mawot Mag (15 points, eight rebounds).
The game against the Buckeyes represents the second game in a three-game homestand. RU remains home to host Oregon on Monday, January 5, also a Peacock broadcast.
| About Rutgers |
Rutgers was boosted by Dylan Grant and Tariq Francis in the team's last win against Delaware State. Dylan Grant had his third double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds with his first double-digit rebounding performance since November 18.
Francis, the reigning Big Ten Co-Player of the Week following a 34-point and game-winner performance against Penn, had 19 points. He is 22-of-26 at the free throw line over the past two contests. He shoots 86.0% for the year at the line.
Grant has scored in double figures in 11 of his 13 games. Francis has reached double-figures eight times.
Against the Hornets, Rutgers hauled in a season-high 52 rebounds and a season-high 21 offensive boards. The 52 rebounds were the most since RU grabbed 56 rebounds against Nebraska on January 17, 2024 during the 2023-24 campaign, a 59-game span. Rutgers was able to utilize a 27-7 advantage in second chance points, 52-28 in rebounding and a 24-of-29 mark at the free throw line to earn the 15-point win, matching RU's largest margin of victory on the season, despite shooting a season-low 29.8 percent from the field and 7-of-27 from the three-point line.
Rutgers 17 field goals vs. DSU were the fewest in a win since defeating Stonehill 59-58 on Dec. 30, 2023 on 16-of-62 shooting. The Scarlet Knights took advantage of free throws to earn the victory, shooting a season-high 82.8 percent from the charity stripe.
| About Ohio State |
Ohio State re-enters Big Ten play with a 9-3 overall mark and 1-1 league record, having been off since December 23. The Buckeyes split the initial league slate with a road win over Northwestern and home loss to Illinois. OSU defeated mutual foe Notre Dame, West Virginia, and six foes from lower ranked conferences. Their resume also includes losses to Putt and UNC, each by one point.
OSU has faced just three teams currently in the top-60 of KenPom and just six in the top 200. Rutgers by comparison has played three top-20 teams and five in the top-60.
OSU shoots 78.8 from the free throw line, seventh nationally and top in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are also fourth in the league with a scoring output of 86.3 points per game.
Bruce Thorton averages 21.0 points per game, third in the Big Ten and 17th nationally. His 87 field goals are most in the league. Thorton has averaged 15.3 career points over 114 games and starts as a Buckeye (over 1,700 career points) and is a two-time All-Big Ten pick and was on the Watch List for the Bob Cousy and Wooden Awards.
John Mobley Jr. (14.3 ppg), Devin Royal (14.0) and Christoph Tilly (13.3) all supplement the scoring. Tilly comes to OSU as a senior after the 7 foot center played three seasons at Santa Clara. Royal is a junior who averaged 13.7 points last year as a first-time starter while Mobley is a sophomore who averaged 13.0 ppg as a freshman last year. Freshman Amare Bynum adds 8.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. Royal and Thorton each scored 22 points in the last meeting against RU, shooting 17-of-25 combined (68 percent).
The Buckeyes do not have a player averaging at least 6 rebounds a game, nor anyone qualifying for national rankings in blocks or steals.
| About the Series |
Rutgers and Ohio State will match up for the 20th time in history, with the past 19 of those coming since 2015, RU's first year in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes lead the series 14-5. Rutgers is 2-4 in the last six meetings after going 2-10 in the first 12 meetings as Big Ten foes, while OSU has won three straight.
Rutgers faced OSU just once last season, an 80-66 road loss in December in the Big Ten opener. Emmanuel Ogbole had 10 points and five rebounds in that game. The Scarlet Knights have three home wins over OSU (2019, 2022, 2023). The last win over the Buckeyes was on January 15, 2023, a 68-64 overtime win for RU behind 21 points from Cam Spencer, a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds, six blocks) from Cliff Omoruyi and a game-winning three-pointer later in overtime by Mawot Mag (15 points, eight rebounds).
| Up Next |
The game against the Buckeyes represents the second game in a three-game homestand. RU remains home to host Oregon on Monday, January 5, also a Peacock broadcast.
Players Mentioned
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