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The 10th ranked Indiana Hoosiers get the Big Ten season started tonight on the road against Rutgers.
Indiana is coming off of a big win vs.18th ranked North Carolina passing their first test in this tough five-game stretch. The Hoosiers will look avoid an emotional letdown game and continue their undefeated season.
The Scarlet Knights, led by second-year head coach Steve Pikiell, enter the game with a 5-2 record. They are coming off a 68-61 loss to Miami (FL).
Here is a preview of Indiana at Rutgers.
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Last Time They Played
The last time Indiana and Rutgers faced off was last season in Indiana's final regular season home game where the Scarlet Knights won 66-63 off of a Ron Harper Jr. three at the buzzer.
Indiana was led by Trayce Jackson-Davis with 19 points that game.
Indiana and Rutgers are tied at 7 wins each in the series.
Injury Updates
Trey Galloway returned from his three-game absence due to being banged up. He looks to be fully back to 100%
Trayce Jackson-Davis is still dealing with pain in his lower back. While this will not force him to miss any action, it is something to monitor moving forward. He said after the North Carolina game that he took a shot before tip off to numb the pain.
Guard Anthony Leal (ankle) and center Logan Duncomb (illness) missed last game. Their status is unknown.
Paul Mulcahy (shoulder) is dealing with a ‘stinger’ and is still questionable for Rutgers.
Key Storylines to Watch
First game of the Big Ten season
This weekend is the start of a lot of conference play for most across the country, which includes the Big Ten. Indiana, who was projected as the favorite to win the Big Ten this season, will look start the season off on the right foot.
Mike Woodson has made it very clear that he has goals of winning a Big Ten Championship this year but is also someone, like his team, that takes it a game at a time. Starting off on the right note and getting a tough win on the road versus what is usually a tough Rutgers team.
Big Ten is expected to be a gauntlet like normal and every game this season is going to matter.
Can Indiana avoid an emotional letdown?
Indiana beat North Carolina earlier this week in what was, at this point, their biggest game of the season. Emotions were high, the atmosphere was incredible, and Indiana just played a near perfect game.
However, the way things are lining up, this has all the makings for an emotional letdown game, something that Indiana has been a part of a ton the last few seasons. Last year for example, the emotional win over Purdue at home resulted in the Hoosiers laying an egg the next game, which was at home, vs. Michigan.
Playing at Rutgers is an a extremely tough environment and provides a difficult challenge for Indiana. If Indiana can avoid the emotional letdown and get a huge win on the road, it might be time to take Indiana even more serious than we already are.
Can Trayce Jackson-Davis lead the Hoosiers to get his first win over Rutgers?
In what is a somewhat mindboggling stat, since senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis has been at Indiana, the Hoosiers have not beaten Rutgers once. Jackson-Davis knows what this team is capable of long term, but he and the team are focused on Rutgers now.
"What we're capable of is playing our next game, which is at Rutgers," said Jackson-Davis. "I haven't beat Rutgers since I've been here. The RAC has always been a very hostile environment. They've had our number there."
This Indiana team is just different than year's past it feels like. There is a certain amount of confidence Jackson-Davis and this team has. The senior forward seems extremely motivated to get rid of this Rutgers black cloud.
Quick Hitters
Who?: Rutgers (5-2, 0-0 in B1G) vs. #10 Indiana (6-0, 0-0 in B1G)
When?: Saturday, December 3rd, 4:00 PM ET
Where?: Jersey Mike's Arena, Piscataway, New Jersey
TV: BTN (Brandon Gaudin, Robbie Hummel, Andy Katz)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
Radio Stream: Learfield Varsity App
Team Rankings: Indiana AP #10, KenPom #8 overall (#12 adj. offense, #11 adj, defense). Rutgers, KenPom #40 overall (#108 adj. offense, #12 adj, defense)
Spread: Indiana -3.5
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