Sunday, February 15
Piscataway, N.J.
12 PM
Rutgers University
vs
Maryland
Photo by: Ben Solomon
Men’s Basketball Hosts Maryland Sunday
Feb 11 | Men's Basketball
Sunday at 12 PM on BTN
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's basketball is back home following a mid-week break this week. The Scarlet Knights welcome in Maryland, hosting the Terps at 12 pm on Big Ten Network. The game is Letterwinners Day as well as the induction of this year's Knights of Honor class.
Rutgers last three opponents represented three of the longest flights in the league, with an average of 2,300 miles travelled (Nebraska, USC, UCLA). Up next is one of the two bus trips in the current Big Ten, with the Terrapins driving 215 miles from College Park.
Rutgers stands at 9-15 overall, 2-11 in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights' two league wins have both come at home in overtime, as RU downed Northwestern and Oregon.
Last time out, Rutgers returned from a two-game swing through Los Angeles with a home contests against a top-ten foe in No. 9 Nebraska. The Huskers took that game 80-68. Tariq Francis (16 points) and Kaden Powers (14 points) paced the RU offense in that one, as RU shot 48.2 percent from the field.
Francis leads RU in scoring at 16.5 points per game on the year. In conference games, he averages 17.8 points per game on 43.5% shooting and is making 93.0 percent of his free throws during league play.
Kaden Powers has excelled in scoring of late, making 13 of his last 22 shots (59%). After posting a career-high 18 points against UCLA, he averages 14.3 points over his last three games.
Under first-year head coach Buzz Williams, Maryland stands at 10-14 overall and 3-10 in the Big Ten. Williams, who previously was the head coach at New Orleans, Marquette, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M, is in his first season in the Big Ten. He was 6-0 against RU at Marquette from 2008-2013 as BIG EAST foes.
The Terps enter the matchup on a two-game winning stream after losing 13 of the previous 16 games. UMD won 67-62 at Minnesota on Sunday, then followed that up with a 77-70 win over No. 25 Iowa on Wednesday night. Freshman Andre Mills had a career-high 24 points against the Hawkeyes, his fifth time in the past six games reaching double-figures, and enters the RU contest averaging 16.3 points per game across the last four. Maryland shot 53 percent in the game overall, with five players reaching double-figures.
David Coit stands at 15.3 points per game. He is one of the top three-pointer shooters in the Big Ten, making 62 overall on the year at a 37.6 precent clip. The graduate student guard, who previously spent last season at Kansas and two seasons at NIU (averaging 20.8 ppg in 2023-24) is from Columbus, N.J.
Darius Adams (11.7 ppg) is another New Jersey native, hailing from Manchester and starting his high school basketball at Manasquan High School. His sister, Destiny Adams, played for Rutgers' women's basketball team, where she was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection in 2023-24 after leading RU at 17.9 points per game.
Maryland has been limited by the injury to Pharell Payne. He averaged 17.5 points per game through 10 contests, but has not played since December 13.
Rutgers has won five of the past eight games over Maryland (dating back to a win on March 3, 2020) and has eight wins in 23 lifetime meetings.
Last season, the two teams played just once, a 90-81 victory for No. 18 Maryland in College Park last February. Dylan Grant had 19 points in the game, the most points he has ever scored against a Big Ten team. The last victory for the Scarlet Knights was a 56-53 win in the prior trip to the XFINITY Center the season before. RU last won over Maryland at home on Jan. 5, 2023, a 64-50 win that was RU's fifth straight at the time in the game following a road win at No. 1 Purdue.
Rutgers men's basketball will recognize its second Knights of Honor class when it inducts Scarlet Knight legends Kelvin Troy ('81), Roy Hinson ('83) and John Battle ('85) this weekend. Troy, Hinson, and Battle will join the inaugural class—Mike Dabney, Hollis Copeland, and Eddie Jordan—in receiving this prestigious recognition. Their jerseys will hang alongside the Knights of Honor display and Rutgers' three retired jerseys: Bob Lloyd (14), Phil Sellers (12), and James Bailey (20).
Kelvin Troy played at Rutgers from 1977–81, helping the Scarlet Knights to a 76–46 record during his career. That stretch included a 24–7 mark and third-place NIT finish in 1977–78 and a 22–9 season capped by an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 1978–79. As a junior, Troy led the team in scoring (18.9), rebounding (8.3), and steals (51), earning Honorable Mention All-America and All-Eastern Eight, All-Metropolitan Area, and All-New Jersey honors. Upon graduation, Troy ranked eighth all-time in scoring (1,458 points, now 13th) and seventh in rebounds (703, now 10th).
Roy Hinson was a dominant defensive presence for Rutgers from 1979–83. Hinson ranks second all-time in program history with 356 blocked shots. Hinson averaged 16.6 points per game as a senior. His 1,525 career points rank 10th in school history, and his 860 rebounds are fifth all-time. A first-round pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1983 NBA Draft, Hinson went on to average 14.2 points per game over an eight-year NBA career with the Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, and New Jersey Nets
John Battle was a Scarlet Knight from 1981–85. Battle broke out as a junior, averaging 21.0 points per game in both his junior and senior seasons. Known for his athleticism and outside shooting, he scored 608 points as a senior and finished with 1,385 career points, ranking 15th all-time (10th at the time of his graduation). Selected in the fourth round of the 1985 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, Battle played 11 seasons in the NBA with the Hawks (1985–91) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (1991–96), totaling over 5,000 career points and 1,200 assists.
Rutgers has just two home games remaining after this contest. After playing Maryland, the next two games and four of the next five come away from home. The Scarlet Knights have a bus trip next, driving to Penn State for a Wednesday night affair, and then are in Minnesota on Saturday.
Rutgers last three opponents represented three of the longest flights in the league, with an average of 2,300 miles travelled (Nebraska, USC, UCLA). Up next is one of the two bus trips in the current Big Ten, with the Terrapins driving 215 miles from College Park.
| About Rutgers |
Rutgers stands at 9-15 overall, 2-11 in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights' two league wins have both come at home in overtime, as RU downed Northwestern and Oregon.
Last time out, Rutgers returned from a two-game swing through Los Angeles with a home contests against a top-ten foe in No. 9 Nebraska. The Huskers took that game 80-68. Tariq Francis (16 points) and Kaden Powers (14 points) paced the RU offense in that one, as RU shot 48.2 percent from the field.
Francis leads RU in scoring at 16.5 points per game on the year. In conference games, he averages 17.8 points per game on 43.5% shooting and is making 93.0 percent of his free throws during league play.
Kaden Powers has excelled in scoring of late, making 13 of his last 22 shots (59%). After posting a career-high 18 points against UCLA, he averages 14.3 points over his last three games.
| About Maryland |
Under first-year head coach Buzz Williams, Maryland stands at 10-14 overall and 3-10 in the Big Ten. Williams, who previously was the head coach at New Orleans, Marquette, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M, is in his first season in the Big Ten. He was 6-0 against RU at Marquette from 2008-2013 as BIG EAST foes.
The Terps enter the matchup on a two-game winning stream after losing 13 of the previous 16 games. UMD won 67-62 at Minnesota on Sunday, then followed that up with a 77-70 win over No. 25 Iowa on Wednesday night. Freshman Andre Mills had a career-high 24 points against the Hawkeyes, his fifth time in the past six games reaching double-figures, and enters the RU contest averaging 16.3 points per game across the last four. Maryland shot 53 percent in the game overall, with five players reaching double-figures.
David Coit stands at 15.3 points per game. He is one of the top three-pointer shooters in the Big Ten, making 62 overall on the year at a 37.6 precent clip. The graduate student guard, who previously spent last season at Kansas and two seasons at NIU (averaging 20.8 ppg in 2023-24) is from Columbus, N.J.
Darius Adams (11.7 ppg) is another New Jersey native, hailing from Manchester and starting his high school basketball at Manasquan High School. His sister, Destiny Adams, played for Rutgers' women's basketball team, where she was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection in 2023-24 after leading RU at 17.9 points per game.
Maryland has been limited by the injury to Pharell Payne. He averaged 17.5 points per game through 10 contests, but has not played since December 13.
| About the Series |
Rutgers has won five of the past eight games over Maryland (dating back to a win on March 3, 2020) and has eight wins in 23 lifetime meetings.
Last season, the two teams played just once, a 90-81 victory for No. 18 Maryland in College Park last February. Dylan Grant had 19 points in the game, the most points he has ever scored against a Big Ten team. The last victory for the Scarlet Knights was a 56-53 win in the prior trip to the XFINITY Center the season before. RU last won over Maryland at home on Jan. 5, 2023, a 64-50 win that was RU's fifth straight at the time in the game following a road win at No. 1 Purdue.
| Knights of Honor |
Rutgers men's basketball will recognize its second Knights of Honor class when it inducts Scarlet Knight legends Kelvin Troy ('81), Roy Hinson ('83) and John Battle ('85) this weekend. Troy, Hinson, and Battle will join the inaugural class—Mike Dabney, Hollis Copeland, and Eddie Jordan—in receiving this prestigious recognition. Their jerseys will hang alongside the Knights of Honor display and Rutgers' three retired jerseys: Bob Lloyd (14), Phil Sellers (12), and James Bailey (20).
Kelvin Troy played at Rutgers from 1977–81, helping the Scarlet Knights to a 76–46 record during his career. That stretch included a 24–7 mark and third-place NIT finish in 1977–78 and a 22–9 season capped by an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 1978–79. As a junior, Troy led the team in scoring (18.9), rebounding (8.3), and steals (51), earning Honorable Mention All-America and All-Eastern Eight, All-Metropolitan Area, and All-New Jersey honors. Upon graduation, Troy ranked eighth all-time in scoring (1,458 points, now 13th) and seventh in rebounds (703, now 10th).
Roy Hinson was a dominant defensive presence for Rutgers from 1979–83. Hinson ranks second all-time in program history with 356 blocked shots. Hinson averaged 16.6 points per game as a senior. His 1,525 career points rank 10th in school history, and his 860 rebounds are fifth all-time. A first-round pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1983 NBA Draft, Hinson went on to average 14.2 points per game over an eight-year NBA career with the Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, and New Jersey Nets
John Battle was a Scarlet Knight from 1981–85. Battle broke out as a junior, averaging 21.0 points per game in both his junior and senior seasons. Known for his athleticism and outside shooting, he scored 608 points as a senior and finished with 1,385 career points, ranking 15th all-time (10th at the time of his graduation). Selected in the fourth round of the 1985 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, Battle played 11 seasons in the NBA with the Hawks (1985–91) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (1991–96), totaling over 5,000 career points and 1,200 assists.
| Up Next |
Rutgers has just two home games remaining after this contest. After playing Maryland, the next two games and four of the next five come away from home. The Scarlet Knights have a bus trip next, driving to Penn State for a Wednesday night affair, and then are in Minnesota on Saturday.
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