Basketball Preview: Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Time: Thursday, February 4th, 8:00pm CT

Location: Rutgers Athletic Center, Piscataway, N.J.

TV: Fox Sports 1

Radio: Learfield IMG College/KTLK 1130 AM

KenPom Rankings: Minnesota 41st, Rutgers 26th

Over/Under and Point spread:

Minnesota comes into the matchup having lost four of their last five games. In those four losses, the Gophers had an average margin of defeat of 18 points. The one win in the last five matchups came against then 7th-ranked Michigan on January 16th. The trajectory of Minnesota's season looks to be on a downslide with their last two losses coming to unranked opponents. Before then, the Gophers' only losses on the season came at the hands of four Big Ten teams ranked inside the top 15.

On the other hand, Rutgers is riding high, fresh off of three straight victories, two of them on the road. Although each of their three victories came against Big Ten squads with losing conference records, the Scarlet Knights dismantled traditional power Michigan State 67-37 on January 28th. The backcourt combo of Ron Harper Jr. and Geo Baker has proved effective as Baker has been in double figures in three straight contests and Harper in two out of the last three including a double-double against Indiana on January 24th.

This will be Minnesota's first matchup of the season with Rutgers. Coach Richard Pitino is 5-4 at Minnesota versus the Scarlet Knights. The Gophers have dropped two straight to Rutgers over the span of the past two seasons, with their last victory coming on January 12th, 2019 in the 2018-2019 season.

Three Players to Watch

Ron Harper Jr.

Now a junior, Harper has elevated his game considerably since last season.

In 28 minutes per game last year, he averaged 12.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. This year, in 33 minutes per game his averages sit at 17.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. The in-state product has put up double figures in three out of his last four contests, including a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double at Indiana just over a week ago.

Although he hasn't matched his hot start in non-conference play with four games of over 20 points, Harper has had more than one turnover in a game just once in conference play, in his most recent game at Northwestern with three.

It will be interesting to see how Harper matches up with the much slimmer built Gopher guard Both Gatch who leads the Minnesota backcourt with 4.9 rebounds per game on the season.

Jacob Young

Senior guard Jacob Young transferred to Rutgers from Texas after the 2017 season. He sat out in 2018 and then averaged a career-high 8.5 points per game in 21 minutes per game for the Scarlet Knights in 2019.

This season, Young built off of his junior campaign now averaging 14.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, and 3.8 apg in just over 30 minutes per game. His season high came twice with 24 points against Farleigh Dickinson on November 27th and Illinois on December 20th.

The Texas native started off conference play red-hot with a stretch of eight straight games in double figures. Since then he has averaged just 10.5 points per game, failing to grab double figures in three out of his last four contests.

Another highly touted recruit coming out of high school, Young and Ron Harper Jr. create havoc for opposing teams to defend when they are in sync, the key however will be to get Young back in rhythm for this conference clash.

Myles Johnson

Junior Myles Johnson is the workhorse down low for the Scarlet Knights and has averaged at least five rebounds per game in every season he's been at Rutgers.

The California native averages 8.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg, and 2.3 bpg. He has recorded four double-doubles on the season, with his most recent coming against Michigan State on January 28th.

While the big man doesn't usually provide consistent scoring, he has improved his post moves as of late, averaging 10.5 points per game in his last four contests. Johnson's season-high came two weeks ago when he scored 14 against Penn State.

Rutgers doesn't have much depth down low, so Minnesota center Liam Robbins and forward Brandon Johnson should fully take advantage of Johnson having to handle most of the team's post duties on Thursday.

Two Questions

Can Minnesota's offense get back on track?

On Saturday versus Purdue, the Gophers shot 38.6% from the field while putting up just 62 points. They outscored the Boilermakers 35-30 in the first half and then put up only 27 to Purdue's 51 in the second.

The previous Saturday versus Maryland, Minnesota was even more abysmal offensively. They shot just over 30% from the field and totaled just 49 points in the entire contest. Shooting 21.7% from three and 64% from the free throw line doesn't help matters either.

On January 20th the scheduled Big Ten conference matchup with Nebraska was canceled and that seems to be the thorn in the side of the Gophers' offensive struggles. With just one game a week since then, it seems that Minnesota is just flat out rusty.

Both Gach will need to get things going to aide this struggling offense. While averaging over nine points per game this season, Gach has managed to score just one point in 35 total minutes played in his past two games. Not only Gach, but Gabe Kalschuer as well. In the same two-game span he has scored just seven points in 60 total minutes played.

Is Rutgers really hot or not?

Coming into the contest riding a three-game win streak, the Scarlet Knights will look to keep things going against a challenging Gopher squad that has recently fallen out of the top 25.

The last time Rutgers had a three-game conference win streak came back in December and January of last season when they knocked off Wisconsin, Nebraska and Penn State consecutively. That streak ended against Illinois on the road. This streak is much more favorable to continue due to the fact Minnesota has been ice-cold of late and the Gophers are winless on the road so far this season.

For this streak to continue, Rutgers will need its backcourt to continue it solid play and for its primary big man Myles Johnson to continue to score at an unusually high pace.

One Prediction

This game will be an all-out war. Look for this to be one of the better Big Ten matchups of the season. Both teams are at a turning point in the season and this is a must win for each.

With a Minnesota win, the Gophers are back on track and are making a push for a first-round bye in the upcoming Big Ten tournament. With a loss, Minnesota will continue to show they lack confidence away from the friendly confines of Williams Arena.

For Rutgers, a win would mean possibly a spot in the top 25 next week and a winning record in conference play. A loss on the other hand would push them further down the muddled mess that is the bottom half of the Big Ten standings.

Take all this into account, and I believe the Gophers offense gets back on track, leading scorer Marcus Carr has a big game and Minnesota gets back in the win column. Keep an eye on the backcourt the entire game for each team. There is plenty of pro-level talent that scouts will surely be watching.

Minnesota 77, Rutgers 70