Rutgers men's basketball looks to bounce back against Nebraska
The Rutgers men’s basketball team will return home to face off against Nebraska today. The Scarlet Knights (16-9, 8-6) are looking to end their two-game losing streak and sustain their top-four spot in the Big Ten standings.
It has been 13 days since Rutgers last played at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Livingston campus.
"We get out on another plane, now head back home. It will be nice to play at Jersey Mike’s," said head coach Steve Pikiell.
The Knights have won 4 of their 5 games against the Cornhuskers (12-14, 5-10) and won both of their games against the team last year.
The battle between junior center Clifford Omoruyi and Derrick Walker will be a key matchup to watch in the contest. Omoruyi only played 24 minutes in Rutgers' loss to Illinois due to foul trouble, but he is almost averaging a double-double, and the Knights will need him to stay on the floor if they want to control the paint and the boards.
Walker is the focal point of Nebraska’s offense evidenced by his 27.9 usage percentage. He leads the team with 13.5 points per game (PPG) and 7.4 rebounds per game.
Walker is also a strong passing center averaging 3.7 assists per game. He likes to receive the ball at the top of the key or at the elbow level, and he either drives inside the paint for a layup, passes the ball to a cutting guard or kicks the ball out to a guard on the perimeter. As such, Omoruyi will need to stay disciplined when guarding the crafty center outside the paint.
On the perimeter Rutgers will have to tightly guard Keisei Tominaga. Tominaga has been one of the most in-form guards in the Big Ten as of late. Tominaga is averaging 25.3 PPG in February and is shooting 40.3 percent from beyond the arc this season. He is a dangerous player due to his quickness and ability to shoot the ball from way behind the three-point line. The Knights will need to press up when Tominaga has the ball in his hands and will need to pressure Tominaga when he is off the ball.
Fifth-year senior Caleb McConnell will be looking to achieve some history during the game. McConnell is one steal away from becoming only the third Rutgers player with 200 steals in his career.
In addition, the Knights will need to get senior guard Cam Spencer to score again. Against the Fighting Illini (17-7, 8-5), Spencer had 2 points and struggled to find open looks as he only took one three-point attempt. Rutgers' offense is at its best when Spencer is hitting multiple three-point attempts.
The game against the Cornhuskers marks the beginning of the final six-game stretch of the regular season for the Knights. Rutgers is favored in each of the last six games as it tries to push toward a higher seed in the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament.
The game will tip off today at 8 p.m. and will be broadcasted on the Big Ten Network and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
"In this league every game is important. Every team is really good, you see where the records are of everybody, so every game is important," Pikiell said. "We just got to get back to playing our kind of defense and sharing the ball a little bit better."
For more updates on the Rutgers men's basketball team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
