Rutgers men's basketball set to face Indiana
In its final home contest of the season, the Rutgers men’s basketball team will play Indiana on Wednesday night for the second time this season. The first matchup between these two teams took place on Jan. 24, when the Scarlet Knights (12-9, 8-9) snapped a five-game losing streak by defeating the Hoosiers (12-10, 7-8) 74-70.
Rutgers’ NCAA Tournament resumé took a hit over the past week as the team lost back-to-back games, including a 68-59 loss to Maryland on Sunday. In the loss, fifth-year senior guard Jacob Young led the way in scoring with 19 points, while senior guard Geo Baker and junior center Myles Johnson collected eight rebounds apiece to lead the Knights.
“As a coaching staff, we try to just play one game, we don't really get caught up, but I know everyone else does. I think there are 100 bracketologists, so I'm not naïve to that stuff,” said head men’s basketball coach Steve Pikiell after Sunday’s loss, according to Rutgers Athletics. “It's talked about every (5) seconds, but we try to go one game at a time if we play well, and then we move on to the next game.”
As the regular season is coming to a close, defense has proven to be a strong point of this Rutgers team. The Knights are the conference leader in blocks per game (BPG) with 5.1 BPG, as well as the leader in steals per game (SPG), averaging approximately 7.9 SPG. Rutgers also ranks inside the top five in the Big Ten in opposing points per game (PPG), letting up an average of 68 PPG.
On an individual level, Young continues to lead the conference in steals, averaging 1.7 SPG, while Johnson is second in the Big Ten in blocks, contributing approximately 3.9 BPG. On the offensive end of the floor, junior guard Ron Harper Jr. remains the Knights’ leading scorer, averaging 15.5 PPG despite recent struggles.
“I tell (Harper Jr.) all the time, put your phone down, don't listen to all that stuff,” Pikiell said, according to Rutgers Athletics. “I know (Harper Jr.) well, and (Harper Jr.) is going to continue to be a really good basketball player for us. (Harper Jr.) does a lot of things for us, and it's not just shooting.”
Indiana is coming off a 78-71 loss to Michigan State over the weekend. On the season, the Hoosiers are led in scoring by Trayce Jackson-Davis, who averages 20.2 PPG, which is good enough for third in the Big Ten. Jackson-Davis also averages a team-high 9.4 rebounds per game, which ranks second in the conference.
Both teams are in the middle of the pack in terms of scoring as a team. Indiana is seventh in the Big Ten in PPG, averaging 72.5 PPG, while Rutgers comes in at ninth with 70.9 PPG. In terms of team shooting percentage, the Knights rank sixth, shooting 45.4 percent as a team. The Hoosiers follow closely behind at seventh, making 44.8 percent of their shots per game.
Wednesday’s game presents a valuable opportunity for both teams to increase their chances of competing in next month’s NCAA Tournament. In the most recent NCAA Tournament projection, Rutgers is designated as a seven seed, while Indiana is a projected 12 seed, according to CBS Sports.
"We've been playing good basketball. I love my guys. I like the guys on the bench. I trust all of them,” Pikiell said, according to Rutgers Athletics. “I have a lot of faith in all of them, and we'll continue to grind. That's what we do, and we'll continue to do that in the best league in the country.”
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