Wednesday, March 11
Chicago, Ill.
9 PM
Rutgers University
vs
University of Minnesota
Men’s Basketball Faces Minnesota in Big Ten Tournament Wednesday
Mar 08 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's basketball earned the No. 14 seed in the Big Ten Tournament after winning six Big Ten Conference games. The Scarlet Knights will face No. 11 seed Minnesota in the opening game of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday.
The tournament will be held this year at the United Center in Chicago for the 29th edition of the tournament. Rutgers avoided playing in the First Round, which begins on Tuesday, by placing higher than 15th place. The Scarlet Knights first game will be game six of the tournament, in the Second Round on Wednesday. The Scarlet Knights are slated for final tipoff of the evening, scheduled for 25 minutes following game five, approximately 9 p.m. Eastern Time. The game will be nationally televised on Big Ten Network. With a victory over Minnesota, No. 6 seed UCLA awaits in the final game of the evening on Thursday night, with the winner of that contest advancing to face No. 3 Michigan State in Friday night's Quarterfinals.
This will be the third time that these two schools meet in the Big Ten tournament, and in all three times it has been the 11-14 matchup. RU fell to Minnesota, 80-68, in its inaugural Big Ten Tournament game as league members in 2015. In 2018, RU won the game 65-54.
The Scarlet Knights enter the postseason having won four of their final seven Big Ten games. After beginning league play with a 2-11 mark, RU finished the conference season at 6-14, winning their last four games by a margin of 9.5 points after taking the first two conference wins in overtime.
On Sunday, Rutgers celebrated Senior Day, honoring Emmanuel Ogbole and five senior managers. The Scarlet Knights then went out and downed Penn State 74-62 for a resounding victory to close the year.
Tariq Francis led the team at 16.9 points per game in the regular season. He reached double-figure scoring in 24 of the last 31 games, including 15 consecutively. Francis, who has made 60 of his last 64 attempts from the free throw line, is at 90.6% for the season, third best in a single season in RU history.
Lino Mark scored 16 points in the regular season finale. He has scored in double figures in six of his last eight games and is averaging 13.5 points across the last six contests.
Darren Buchanan Jr. had a career-high 13 rebounds against the Nittany Lions. The redshirt junior is at 8.5 points per game on the year with 12 double-digit outings.
Most Free Throws Made in A Single Season at Rutgers
4. Bob Lloyd (1965-66) 161
5. John Somogyi (1971-72) 150
6. Quincy Douby (2005-06) 149
Phil Sellers (1974-75) 149
8. Phil Sellers (1975-76) 148
Phil Sellers (1973-74) 148
10. Larry Gordon (1953-54) 146
T-11. Keith Hughes (1990-91) 144
T-11. Tariq Francis (2025-26) 144
Best Single Season Free Throw Percentage at Rutgers
1. Steve Kaplan (1969-70) .927
2. Bob Lloyd (1966-67) .921
3. Tariq Francis (2025-26) .908
4. Geoff Billet (1995-96) .900
Minnesota finished the season 15-16 overall and 8-12 in league play in the first season under head coach Niko Medved, who holds a 237-188 career record in 13 years as a D-1 head coach leading Minnesota, Furman, Drake and Colorado State, making three NCAA Tournaments with Colorado State. Minnesota started the year at 10-5 overall at 3-1 in Big Ten play. Since Jan. 7, the Gophers are 5-11, but have won three of the past five games, with recent wins over UCLA and Northwestern.
Minnesota is fifth in the Big Ten in assists per game (17.2, 26th nationally). The Gophers are also top-30 nationally with a 1.65 assist/turnover ratio.
Cade Tyson leads the team at 19.5 points per game, sixth in the league, shooting 42.1% from long-range (67-of-159). He was previously at Belmont, where he was second team All-MVC in 2023-24 as he was second in the nation in three-point percentage. He saw action in 31 games at UNC last year.
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson came via Arkansas Little Rock and Colorado State and has scored 13.4 points per game. Langston Reynolds, a First Team All-Big sky player last season, is at 11.7 points per game. Sophomore Isaac Asuma is at 11.2 points per game. Davidson transfer Bobby Durkin, who averaged 13.5 points last season, is at 10.2 ppg.
RU is 8-12 all-time against Minnesota. The Scarlet Knights have won six of the past 10 games. Minnesota won the lone contest this season on February 21 at Williams Arena, 80-61.
This will be the third time that these two schools meet in the Big Ten tournament, and in all three times it has been the 11-14 matchup. RU fell to Minnesota, 80-68, in its inaugural Big Ten Tournament game as league members in 2015. In 2018, RU won the game 65-54. That win in 2018 came at Madison Square Garden, with 23 points from Corey Sanders starting a memorable run for RU.
Rutgers is 5-10 all-time at the Big Ten Tournament since joining the league in 2015. Rutgers' last Big Ten Tournament win came in 2023 against then-No. 8 seed Michigan.
The tournament will be held this year at the United Center in Chicago for the 29th edition of the tournament. Rutgers avoided playing in the First Round, which begins on Tuesday, by placing higher than 15th place. The Scarlet Knights first game will be game six of the tournament, in the Second Round on Wednesday. The Scarlet Knights are slated for final tipoff of the evening, scheduled for 25 minutes following game five, approximately 9 p.m. Eastern Time. The game will be nationally televised on Big Ten Network. With a victory over Minnesota, No. 6 seed UCLA awaits in the final game of the evening on Thursday night, with the winner of that contest advancing to face No. 3 Michigan State in Friday night's Quarterfinals.
This will be the third time that these two schools meet in the Big Ten tournament, and in all three times it has been the 11-14 matchup. RU fell to Minnesota, 80-68, in its inaugural Big Ten Tournament game as league members in 2015. In 2018, RU won the game 65-54.
| About Rutgers |
The Scarlet Knights enter the postseason having won four of their final seven Big Ten games. After beginning league play with a 2-11 mark, RU finished the conference season at 6-14, winning their last four games by a margin of 9.5 points after taking the first two conference wins in overtime.
On Sunday, Rutgers celebrated Senior Day, honoring Emmanuel Ogbole and five senior managers. The Scarlet Knights then went out and downed Penn State 74-62 for a resounding victory to close the year.
Tariq Francis led the team at 16.9 points per game in the regular season. He reached double-figure scoring in 24 of the last 31 games, including 15 consecutively. Francis, who has made 60 of his last 64 attempts from the free throw line, is at 90.6% for the season, third best in a single season in RU history.
Lino Mark scored 16 points in the regular season finale. He has scored in double figures in six of his last eight games and is averaging 13.5 points across the last six contests.
Darren Buchanan Jr. had a career-high 13 rebounds against the Nittany Lions. The redshirt junior is at 8.5 points per game on the year with 12 double-digit outings.
| In the Record Books |
Most Free Throws Made in A Single Season at Rutgers
4. Bob Lloyd (1965-66) 161
5. John Somogyi (1971-72) 150
6. Quincy Douby (2005-06) 149
Phil Sellers (1974-75) 149
8. Phil Sellers (1975-76) 148
Phil Sellers (1973-74) 148
10. Larry Gordon (1953-54) 146
T-11. Keith Hughes (1990-91) 144
T-11. Tariq Francis (2025-26) 144
Best Single Season Free Throw Percentage at Rutgers
1. Steve Kaplan (1969-70) .927
2. Bob Lloyd (1966-67) .921
3. Tariq Francis (2025-26) .908
4. Geoff Billet (1995-96) .900
| About Minnesota |
Minnesota finished the season 15-16 overall and 8-12 in league play in the first season under head coach Niko Medved, who holds a 237-188 career record in 13 years as a D-1 head coach leading Minnesota, Furman, Drake and Colorado State, making three NCAA Tournaments with Colorado State. Minnesota started the year at 10-5 overall at 3-1 in Big Ten play. Since Jan. 7, the Gophers are 5-11, but have won three of the past five games, with recent wins over UCLA and Northwestern.
Minnesota is fifth in the Big Ten in assists per game (17.2, 26th nationally). The Gophers are also top-30 nationally with a 1.65 assist/turnover ratio.
Cade Tyson leads the team at 19.5 points per game, sixth in the league, shooting 42.1% from long-range (67-of-159). He was previously at Belmont, where he was second team All-MVC in 2023-24 as he was second in the nation in three-point percentage. He saw action in 31 games at UNC last year.
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson came via Arkansas Little Rock and Colorado State and has scored 13.4 points per game. Langston Reynolds, a First Team All-Big sky player last season, is at 11.7 points per game. Sophomore Isaac Asuma is at 11.2 points per game. Davidson transfer Bobby Durkin, who averaged 13.5 points last season, is at 10.2 ppg.
| About the Series |
RU is 8-12 all-time against Minnesota. The Scarlet Knights have won six of the past 10 games. Minnesota won the lone contest this season on February 21 at Williams Arena, 80-61.
This will be the third time that these two schools meet in the Big Ten tournament, and in all three times it has been the 11-14 matchup. RU fell to Minnesota, 80-68, in its inaugural Big Ten Tournament game as league members in 2015. In 2018, RU won the game 65-54. That win in 2018 came at Madison Square Garden, with 23 points from Corey Sanders starting a memorable run for RU.
| Big Ten Tournament History |
Rutgers is 5-10 all-time at the Big Ten Tournament since joining the league in 2015. Rutgers' last Big Ten Tournament win came in 2023 against then-No. 8 seed Michigan.
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