Rutgers Preview

Date: Saturday, January 25th

Time: 1:00pm CST

Location: Piscataway, NJ

Record: 14-5 (5-3 Big Ten Conference)

Ranking: #24

Last Meeting: January 3rd - Rutgers 79 Nebraska 62

Since We Last Saw The Scarlet Knights:

Well, believe it or not, Rutgers has a good basketball team. They are no longer one of the few bottom feeders of the Big Ten Conference. Make fun of them all you want. Go on and on and on about how they do not belong in the conference. Wax poetically about how the bring the conference athletic presence down.

Do all of that.

But it will get you nowhere on the hard court this season. Rutgers has three losses in Big Ten Play. #11 Michigan State, #21 Illinois, and #19 Iowa. That is it my friends. Since we last saw them earlier this month they beat Indiana, Minnesota, & Penn State. All very decent squads this year.

The Big Ten is a vary deep and talented conference this year. Rutgers, just so happens to have a good team for once to play into the beautiful madness.

Am I saying they are going to go far in the tournament? Will they make the final four? Will Taylor Ham become a national staple at dinner time? No, I doubt any of this will happen. But the way they are playing they will make it and probably raise some eyes in the meantime.

Prediction:

In terms of offensive production, they even up fairly well against the Huskers with Nebraska averaging 72.3 ppg and Rutgers with 71.5. Field goal percentage is where the Scarlet Knights pull away going 46% from the floor while the Huskers are only shooting at 41%. Nothing there that really bodes well for the Big Red.

Rutgers also takes their size advantage over the Huskers to their benefit. They are averaging 40.9 rebounds per game to Nebraska's 35.6 and blocking 4.6 shots to the Huskers 2.6. Under the paint, they have and will dominate.

Rutgers last came into Lincoln and beat Nebraska on their home court. Pretty well from what I might add. Now the Huskers head to Piscataway to try and bring home a very evasive Big Ten road win. Nebraksa is playing better ball right now. Even if their record does not show it.

However, I believe that Rutgers is on enough of a roll to make it 2-0 against Nebraska this season.

Rutgers University 73 University of Nebraska 65