Minnesota (17-9; 7-8) At Rutgers (12-14; 5-11) How To Watch, Listen, News & Notes Where: The RAC in Piscataway, New Jersey Tip-off: Sunday, February 24th at 6:30 p.m. ET TV: BTN - Jason Horowitz & Bob Wenzel Stream: BTN2GO Radio: Live Listen - WCTC 1450 AM/WOR 710 AM//Sirius 99/XM 195- Jerry Recco & Joe Boylan; WRSU 88.7 FM - Jake Ostrove & Randy DeGregorio KenPom Rankings: Rutgers #80; Minnesota #47 (Rutgers has moved up five spots since the loss to Michigan State) KenPom Prediction: Rutgers 69 Minnesota 68; Rutgers has a 50% chance to win. Vegas Line: Rutgers -1.5 Series History: Minnesota leads 8-2 all-time, including an 88-70 victory back in January. SB Nation Minnesota site: The Daily Gopher Game 26 recap & four thoughts About Minnesota Head coach Richard Pitino is in his sixth season at Minnesota, who enter Sunday’s game having lost five of its last six games. They began the season with a 16-5 record and 6-4 in Big Ten play, but have struggled against top half teams with recent losses to Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin. Their lone win was a home triumph over Indiana, but they lost at Nebraska during this stretch as well. In league play this season, Minnesota is just 1-6 on the road and have lost five straight away from the barn. Although Minnesota is scoring 72.1 points per game this season, they are averaging just 62.3 points in its last six conterts. For the season, the Gophers are shooting 43.9% from the field, 31.6% from three-point range, and 67.6% from the free throw line. In terms of offensive efficiency, they rank 6th in the Big Ten and are tops in the league in free throw rate and 3rd in two-point field goal percentage. They are just 10th in three-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage. With defensive efficiency, Minnesota ranks near the bottom in 12th at 107.0, just 0.1 ahead of Rutgers. The only category they rank in the top half is opponents offensive rebounding rate, which is currently 7th in the conference. They don’t force a lot of mistakes of its opponents, as they rank 12th in turnover rate and 13th in steal rate. Minnesota are led by its veteran core of Jordan Murphy, Amir Coffey, and Dupree McBrayer. Murphy is one of my favorite players in the Big Ten and he plays much bigger than his 6’6” frame. He is a problem on the inside, while Coffey is a more versatile offensive threat. The Gophers have also gotten a strong freshman campaign from Daniel Oturu, who on the team ranks first in blocks, second in rebounding, and third in scoring. McBrayer is a solid point guard that’s only committed 2 turnovers total in his last four games. This a poor shooting team from behind the arc, as the only player shooting better than 30% is freshman Gabe Kalscheur. However, he is dangerous having made 59 of 148 attempts for 39.9% from three-point range. Notable Contributors Backcourt 6’4” freshman Gabe Kalscheur- 10.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists 6’5” senior Dupree McBrayer - 9.3 points, 3.1 assists, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 steal 6’1” sophomore Isaiah Washington - 4.5 points, 3.1 assists, 1.7 rebounds Frontcourt 6’6” senior Jordan Murphy - 15.1 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists 6’8” junior Amir Coffey - 14.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists 6’10” freshman Daniel Oturu - 11.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.5 blocks 6’9” sophomore Eric Curry - 4.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists Notes: Rutgers is averaging 67.4 points per game this season and are shooting 41.3% from the floor, 31.3% from three-point range, and 62.4% from the free throw line. For the season the team has a national offensive efficiency ranking of 158th in Division I, which would mark the highest mark for a Rutgers squad at the end of the year since the lone AAC campaign in 2013-2014. Keys To Victory Slow Down Coffey & Murphy The last time these two teams met, the dynamic frontcourt duo of Minnesota dominated the game. Coffey scored 29 points on 10 of 14 shooting, while Murphy posted a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds, as well as 2 blocks and 2 steals. They each got to the free throw line at least 10 times and made 17 of 21 shots from the charity stripe combined. However, a big difference on Sunday is the return of the Eugene Omoruyi Injury Payback Tour. He missed the first meeting in Minnesota and his presence in the interior was sorely missed. Omoruyi also missed the first game against Northwestern due to the dislocated kneecap, but shut down Dererk Pardon and made two huge free throws in the closing seconds to win the rematch. I expect him to be fired up and looking to have a big impact in this game as well. His defense inside on Murphy will be a big time matchup to watch, while he will give Rutgers an offensive threat near the rim as well, something they needed more of in the first meeting. If the Scarlet Knights want to win this rematch, they can’t allow Murphy and Coffey to dominate inside like they did the first time and Omoruyi should have a lot to do with that. Bounce Back On The Boards After rebounding was an obvious strength in the previous eight games, Rutgers got outworked in a major way by Michigan State, ending the night with a -14 rebounding margin. Rutgers did hold a +2 rebounding edge over Minnesota in the first game, including +6 on the offensive glass. That led to a 16-6 edge in second chance points. As strong as Minnesota’s frontcourt is, its encouraging Rutgers was still effective against them in this area without Omoruyi. They need a true team effort on the boards in this game and limit Minnesota to as many one shot possessions as possible, something they didn’t do a good job of in the first meeting. Feed The Bigs Myles Johnson had a breakout performance in the first game at Minnesota, leading the team with 13 points and 8 rebounds.<doc-sep>Shaq Carter The Rutgers men’s basketball team will play one of its final home games of the season tonight when it hosts Minnesota. There is just one more home game remaining after tonight as the Scarlet Knights are set for a rematch with the Golden Gophers. Last time around, Minnesota had its way with Rutgers, earning a one-sided 88-70 win on Jan 12th. Rutgers is riding a two-game losing streak with an overall record of 12-14, with its previous losses coming at the expense of No.10 Michigan State and No.21 Iowa. Rutgers is currently 5-11 in conference play and a win would go a long way in securing a No.10 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, which would mean RU would not have to play the first day. Minnesota is holding a record of 17-10 and will need every win it can muster to break through the bubble and make the NCAA Tournament. A strong first half of the season has not been able to sustain itself as the Gophers have lost five of their last six. The latest defeat was a 69-60 setback against No.7 Michigan. Here is a look at some of the ways to view today’s game. FOLLOW THE GAME WITH OTHER FANS IN OUR LIVE THREAD Here is how you can watch Rutgers vs Minnesota: When: Sunday at 6:30 p.m. EST at The RAC. TV: The game will be broadcasted on BTN with Jason Horowitz handling the play-by-play duties while Bob Wenzel will serve as the game analyst. Radio: The game will be broadcasted on Rutgers IMG Sports Network, which can be heard on WCTC 1450-AM, WOR 710-AM with Jerry Recco and Joe Boylan calling the game. The game will also air on Rutgers Student Radio WRSU 88.7 FM with Jake Ostrove and Randy DeGregorio calling the action. Live Thread: Our staff and readers will post updates throughout the game in the LIVE Thread on the Scarlet Nation message board. Rutgers is steadily improving and held a 32-25 at the half in its last outing against No.10 Michigan State. However, the Spartans were too much in the second half as they stormed back and handed Rutgers an 11-point defeat. “That's a good basketball team,” head coach Steve Pikiell said of Michigan State. “It's a forty-minute game. They are at home. They made some shots and got to the free throw line. They have good players. It was a two-possession game always, then we went down with 12 minutes left, then they kept grinding us down. We have to make more free throws. Scoring points, that wasn't our problem tonight. We can't get out-rebounded like that. And we're one of the best rebounding teams in the country too. That's more of a problem for us. And four out of our top seven are freshmen. We'll keep going and we'll get better and better." Here are some of our latest Rutgers basketball articles on Scarlet Nation: Steve Pikiell discusses Michigan State defeat Strong first half not enough as Rutgers falls to Michigan State<doc-sep>I’d like to say I’m surprised that the Gophers find themselves in the unenviable position of having multiple “must-win” scenarios this late in the season, but that would be a lie. We knew full well heading into the season that the February portion of the schedule would be a bear, and that Minnesota would be challenged to notch wins against some of the best teams in the conference. But I didn’t think it would be this dire. Unfortunately, while the Gophers have suffered losses they shouldn’t have, they haven’t picked up any victories they shouldn’t have. And you need the counterbalance of, say, beating Nebraska on the road when you’re losing at home to Michigan. And that hasn’t happened. So now what? Minnesota needs at least two victories in the final four games of the season to be in decent shape for an at-large bid. The two most winnable games are on the road, where the team has been laughably bad, though they come against two of the conference’s worst teams in Rutgers and Northwestern. The other two are against Purdue (home) and Maryland (road), which are hardly winnable games. So, if we’re being reductionist, Minnesota is in a must-win situation against Rutgers tonight and against Northwestern on Thursday. They still control their own destiny, but the margin for error is now close to zero. Time to put up or shut up. Essentials: Who are the Gophers playing? Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-11, 12-14) What time are they playing? Sunday, Feb. 24 @ 5:30 p.m. CT Where are they playing? Louis Brown Athletic Center (Piscataway, NJ) Can I watch the game on TV? Yes, BTN. Can I listen to the game on the radio? Yes, KTLK 1130-AM/103.5-FM Tell me more about the opponent. Is Rutgers having a renaissance season? In a word, yes they are. They’re having the best season they’ve had since joining the Big Ten, and have already won more conference games since they won six in the Big East in 2012. And while those five wins are nothing to write home about they’ve been a tough out at home. But make no bones about it, Rutgers is not a good team. They’ve lost eight games this year by double digits and have one of the worst offenses in the conference. They had a decent January but, like the Gophers, have fallen off a cliff in February, going 1-5 in their last six games. One of two double-figure scorers for the Knights, Eugene Omoruyi leads the offense with 13.6 points per game and also averages a team-high 7.6 rebounds. Geo Baker is second on the team in scoring and is second in the Big Ten in steals, averaging 1.7 per game. Omoruyi was injured in the previous game against the Gophers, but has been tough on the glass in recent games. Rutgers has been hanging its hat on defense this year though, and rank #44 in KenPom with good defense inside the three-point line, though they’ve been terrible with three-point defense. Their biggest problem has been scoring, as they have the worst scoring differential in the conference. Predictions Here we are. A must-win game on the road against Rutgers. How fittingly Minnesota Sports. The game is there for the taking if the Gophers want it. They theoretically should be able to shut down the Rutgers offense, which has scored more than 70 points just once in its past eight games, but will need to score the ball themselves and be competent from the three-point line. I’m taking the Gophers, because I think they’ll finally wake up, but for a team that has shown very little spine the past three weeks it’s a shaky confidence. Win or go home.<doc-sep>Basketball is fun again. The Scarlet Knights beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers 68-64 and have now won 6 conference games for the first time since 2011-2012. Rutgers got the kind of game they needed coming off two tough loss and facing a team desperately in need of a road win to keep their NCAA hopes alive. Eugene Omoruyi was big down low scoring 14 points. Montez Mathis was huge in the open court and scored 18 points. And Geo Baker flat out took the game over in the final minute and finished with 13 points. And, I got to high five Pat Hobbs as the buzzer sounded—because I was very lucky. I got to sit under the basket tonight thanks to friend and all around great Rutgers guy, Mike Greengarten. Four Thoughts: Rutgers Snoozed Through the First Half: It was clear that the Golden Gophers needed this game and were taking it to Rutgers early. Daniel Oturu was big down low and scored 20 points. And Gabe Kalscheur was lights out from the three point line. He hit 5 threes in the first half (and six overall). The Scarlet Knights did just enough to stay within scoring distance—down seven at the half. The Scarlet Knights Shut Down Jordan Murphy: Murphy was never truly a factor until the final second of the game, when—down three—Murphy got fouled and got three free throws. He missed two of them. But Murphy—who can be a dominant player—only scored 9 points and had 7 rebounds. Rutgers kept rolling different big men at him. Shaquille Doorson walled up. Myles Johnson gave him a different look. And even Omoruyi played him tough at times. That was a key. The Refs Were Fair: I’ve been moaning about the refs the past couple of games and for good reason. But tonight, the boys in stripes let them play and never felt like they were trying to wrestle the game away from Rutgers. Sitting up close, you really see a different game, and the refs let a lot go. At one point, a Minnesota player claimed he got fouled and the ref said, “I see you, baby, but you gotta play through that.” It was a lot of fun to see. Geo Baker Stepped Up: As soon as I post this article, I am going to watch the highlights because Baker was so good down the stretch. He hit a huge three to tie the game at 61. He got to the line. He distributed the ball. And he played really good defense on Kalscheur in the 2nd half when they had to put Mathis on Amir Coffey. An all around great game for Rutgers and keeps the arrow pointed up. It’s really impressive how the Iowa game barely affected their psyched. That bodes so well for the future.<doc-sep>
Ron Harper Jr. Minnesota is at Rutgers today fighting to keep their NCAA Tournament resume off the bubble. The Scarlet Knights are a 5-win Big Ten team that continues to be dangerous on their home floor. The Storyline Minnesota has lost five of their last six games dropping them to 7-9 in the Big Ten and 17-10 overall. Rutgers has also lost five of their last six games putting them at 12-14 on the year. The only chance Rutgers has for the NCAA Tournament is to win the Big Ten Tournament but Minnesota still has a very strong chance to be dancing in March. That said, a win today in New Jersey would be a major setback for the Golden Gophers. Rutgers has beaten Ohio State, Nebraska, and Indiana on their home floor plus defeated Miami and St. John's in neutral site games and defeated Penn State and Northwestern on the road. Also on their home floor the Scarlet Knights lost to Iowa by one point and gave Michigan a run. The Scarlet Knights have played the 15th toughest schedule in the nation and is one of 25 youngest teams in the nation based on experience. Minnesota and Rutgers have played ten times in their history with Minnesota winning eight of those games. Minnesota beat Rutgers 88-70 at Williams Arena earlier in the season led by 29 points from Amir Coffey, and a 15 point/14 rebound effort from Jordan Murphy. Rutgers won the rebound battle and out-scored the Gophers in the paint that game, but Amir Coffey was producing in transition all game. Six-foot-10 freshman big Myles Johnson scored a career-high 13 points and grabbed a team high eight rebounds for Rutgers who played that game without leading scorer and rebounder Eugene Omoruyi (the junior is averaging 13.6 points and 7.6 rebounds a game). The Numbers I must reiterate that Eugene Omoruyi did not play for Rutgers when they faced the Gophers in Williams Arena. The 6-foot-7, 240 pound junior is averaging 13.6 points and 7.6 rebounds a game shooting 44.3 percent from the floor and 68.4 percent from the foul line. Omoruyi has been struggling in recent games scoring just 36 points on 14 of 38 shooting but he's still rebounding at a high rate (37 in those four games). In the first game the Gophers scored 88 points making half of their 58 attempts, sinking 10 of 24 threes (four from Dupree McBrayer, three from Gabe Kalscheur), and completing 20 of 25 foul shots (Jordan Murphy 9 of 11, Amir Coffey 8 of 10). Minnesota only turned the ball over eight times but they lost the board battle 38-36 because Rutgers out-worked them to 14 offensive boards (Myles Johnson had five, Myles Carter three). Geo Baker is scoring 13.2 points per game but made only 5 of 15 shots at Williams Arena. Rutgers is a 31.2 percent three-point shooting team in the Big Ten season with Baker being one of the best shooters at just below 34 percent. Caleb McConnell only takes two threes a game but he is the best Rutgers weapon at the arc at 36.4 percent. Freshman Montez Mathis is the third leading scorer on the team at just over four field goals a contest. From GopherSports.com, Jordan Murphy was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday. He is second in Big Ten play in rebounding, pulling down 11.3 boards per game, and leads in overall rebounding with 12.0 rebounds per game on the season, fourth in the nation. His 1,234 career rebounds ranks second in Big Ten Conference history Murphy became the ninth player in Big Ten history with 1,600 plus points and 1,000 plus career rebounds. The Match-Ups Starting center Shaquille Doorson (seven foot senior from the Netherlands), Issa Thiam (6-foot-10 junior from the Senegal) who has started nine games, and Myles Johnson will play in the middle although Thiam has lost time to Johnson. Shaq Carter comes off the bench (and has started five Big Ten games) at 6-foot-9 and 245 pounds and gives about the same type of production. Add in Omoruyi and the Rutgers frontcourt has a lot of bodies to use to try and limit Daniel Oturu and Jordan Murphy. Rutgers will be bigger than Minnesota but nowhere as agile and as polished. With Omoruyi on the floor Murphy will have to defend him and Jordan will once again need to worry about scoring against the length that forced him into 3 of 12 shooting.