Indiana heads into the Big Ten Tournament on a five game losing streak and sitting at 12-14 (7-12) on the season.
Facing Rutgers for the third time this season, the Scarlet Knights took both of the first two matchups and come in at 14-10 (10-10).
Jacob Young is the second leading scorer for Rutgers, but is the best playmaker on the floor. He averages 14.5 points this season and has scored in double-figured in nine of the last 10 games. Young is terrific off of the dribble and getting into the paint to open things up for the other Rutgers perimeter players. He is the top three-point shooter on the team at 36.6 percent on three attempts per game. Defensively, he is tops in the Big Ten with 1.8 steals per game.
As a stretch-4, Ron Harper Jr comes in as Rutgers' leading scorer at 15.3 points per game. It has been an up-and-down year for Harper, however. He was averaging 23.4 points per game to start the season before an ankle injury caused him to miss some time. Since then he hasn't found that early-season rhythm and has scored above 15 points just once, and been held to single-digits five separate times. He shoots just 32.3 percent from three but takes nearly six attempts per game.
Myles Johnson is the backbone of the Rutgers' defense. The 6-foot-11 center is one of the top defenders in the league and averages six blocks per game in the two games against IU - 2.5 overal. The Indiana forwards have had a lot of difficulty scoring and finding a consistent rhythm against him.
Geo Baker and Rutgers' success have a large correlation. The Scarlet Knights are 8-3 this season when he scores in double-figures. Baker is very streaky this season but has had two terrific games against Indiana. He has killed IU in transition and in secondary break opportunities.
Rutgers Projected Starters:
G - Geo Baker (Sr; 6-4; 195)
Stats: 10.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.0 apg
G - Jacob Young (Sr; 6-2; 185)
Stats: 14.5 ppg, 3.5 apg, 1.8 spg
G - Paul Mulcahy (So; 6-6; 210)
Stats: 5.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.9apg
PF - Ron harper Jr (Jr; 6-6; 245)
Stats: 15.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.7 apg
C - Myles Johnson (Jr; 6-11; 255)
Stats: 8.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.5 bpg
Season Series:
Indiana lost both games to Rutgers this season, a 74-70 loss at home and then a 74-63 loss on the road.
A main reason for the losses was because of Indiana's inability to finish in the paint and around the rim. The Hoosiers were a combined 28-of-83 in both matchups from two-point range. It was a close game throughout in the first matchup, but in the second game at Rutgers, Indiana took a 15-point lead within the first 10 minutes of the game. After that, IU was outscored 66-40 - and it was a 7-0 run to close for Indiana that made it an even closer final score.
Rutgers has been the tougher team in both games and won the 50-50 plays needed to come out with the win. Also, Rutgers has made runs in each game that IU was unable to come back from.
Things To Watch For Indiana:
Indiana needs to establish some sort of post presence early in the game in order to open up the rest of the offense. Trayce Jackson-Davis has had good moments but hasn't been able to maintain that level throughout the game. If Indiana's front court can stay on the floor and play at a consistent level throughout the game, IU's offense will stay with its inside-out approach and keep its attack in the paint and not around the perimeter.
The Hoosiers need to stay in attack mode and attack the Rutgers pressure. The Rutgers' guards have been able to disrupt Indiana's momentum throughout the prior two games and lead to easy buckets for the Rutgers guards.
In the past week, Indiana has done a better job at keeping its energy level up for a full 40 minutes. With what could possibly be the final game of the season for IU, we will see what sort of energy and sense of urgency it has.
Game Information:
Who: Indiana (12-14; 7-12) vs Rutgers (14-10; 10-10)
When: Thursday, Mar. 11 @ 6:30 pm ET
Where: Indianapolis, IN
TV: BTN (Brandon Gaudin and Shon Morris)
Radio: IU Radio Network with Don Fischer, Errek Suhr and Joe Smith
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QUICK HITTERS
• Indiana leads the all-time series 7-5, but lost both matchups this season.
• Jackson-Davis leads the nation in total free-throw attempts (222).
• Jacob Young leads the Big Ten in steals per game (1.8).
• The last time that Rutgers defeated a team three times in one season was in 2013-14.
• Rutgers has secured back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1990-91/1991-92.
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