Piscataway will host the final 10 games of the regular season.
After playing its 19th home game, a 15 point win over Maryland on Sunday, No. 16 Ohio State is scheduled to meet Rutgers on Sunday, September 20th. Rutgers currently sits in seventh place in Big Ten standings.
| WHO | WHERE | WHERE | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers (13-9, 7-5 B1G) | Rutgers Athletic Center | 7 p.m. | BTN |
Steve Pikiells’ program won its first NCAA Tournament match in 38 years last year. It is currently 7-5 in conference play and just came off an 18-point win over Tom Izzo and Michigan State.
“Tremendousrespect for ’em. They are talented and very well-coached, I think. They are just amazing at home. They’re a strong team, no matter how hard they fight you home-road. But they’re clearly an elite team home when you take a look at who they have beaten, their scores and their quality. Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann spoke Tuesday.”It’s as difficult a place on the road as you’ll find in this league.”
Rutgers has also had its share of poor performances this season. Rutgers lost three straight games to DePaul and Lafayette, while Massachusetts lost to Massachusetts during a non conference stretch in November. However, the Scarlet Knights have also knocked out a few of the top Big Ten teams.
The Buckeyes have won four of their last four games against Rutgers and will enter the RAC as a favorite despite having suffered five of their losses on the road or at neutral venues this season. Ohio State will be looking to win its fifth contest and its fourth Big Ten road triumph of the season.
What to Watch
At the RAC, ranked teams struggle
Rutgers is currently 11-2 at home this season. Both of those slip-ups were by single-digit margins. The Scarlet Knights have defeated Rutgers in both previous visits to the RAC by ranked opponents. They knocked out then-No. 1 Purdue defeated then-No. 13 Michigan State won 84-63 on Saturday. Rutgers will play its second consecutive home game against a ranked opponent Wednesday. However, the Buckeyes beat Scarlet Knights easily last season in their last trip at the RAC, albeit without fans during the COVID-plagued 2020-21 campaign.
Slow pace from Rutgers
Per KenPomRutgers is ranked 290th in the nation in adjusted tempo. Many of the contest scores show the impact of this stat. The Scarlet Knights, with a score of 68.3, are the second-lowest-scoring offense in Big Ten. They have scored less than 50 points in three of their games. Rutgers is also the conference’s second-best scoring defense (64.8), and has held opponents to less than 60 points five of the five times. According to KenPom the Buckeyes have sixth-best adjusted offensive efficiency, but they could easily get drawn into Rutgers preferred style.
Ohio State wins a historic streak
The Buckeyes’ longest winning streak against the Scarlet Knights would be extended with a win Wednesday. Ohio State has won four of its last four games against Rutgers. Its last loss to Rutgers was on Jan. 9, 2019. The current streak is tied against Ohio States’ 4-0 run against Rutgers between 2014-17 as its longest all time. However, a fifth consecutive win this week would break the tie.
Three Important Buckeyes
E.J. Liddell
Liddell has been a great player all season. However, he’s been even better in the last few games for Ohio State. Liddell has averaged 19.9 points per game over the entire season and is currently scoring 22.3 in his last three appearances. This marks only the second time that he has scored at least 20 in consecutive games in his career. Liddell has made 56.8 percent of his shots, while grabbing 9.7 rebounds per contest and distributing 4.3 assists per match. He was already doing it all for Ohio State all year, but he has been doing it even more recently.
Malaki Branham
The second-leading scorer in Ohio had one of his worst shooting performances this year against Maryland. He scored eight points on 3-for-12 from the floor. Strangely, Branham has scored nearly seven points less in his four home games than he did in his six on the road. He is also shooting 23.1 percent worse. Branham may have another big game next week in hostile surroundings for the Buckeyes.
Justin Ahrens
Buckeye fans breathed a sigh of relief Sunday when Justin Ahrens shot his way out a nine-game shooting slump. He went off for 14 points, going 4-for-7 from 3-point range. Ahrens, who is likely to remain in a reserve job after being fired two games ago, will now have to prove against Rutgers that his last outing was not a one-off.
RELATEDJustin Ahrens Breaks Out Of Extended Shooting Slump with a 14-Point Performance against Maryland
Three Important Scarlet Knights
| Player | Position | Height | Weight | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEO BAKER | G | 6-4 | 185 | 11.6 PPG, 4 APG |
| PAUL MULCAHY | G | 6-6 | 213 | 8.4 PPG and 5.4 APG |
| CALEB MCCCONNELL | G | 6-7 | 200 | 6.6 PPG, 5 RPG |
| RON HARPER JR. | G/F | 6-6 | 245 | 15.9 PPG and 6.2RPG |
| CLIFFORD OMORUYI | C | 6-11 | 240 | 11.4 PPG, 8 RP |
Ron Harper Jr.
A Buckeye veteran won’t need to be reminded about what Ron Harper Jr. brings, as the longtime Scarlet Knight and programs leading scorer is in his fourth season. Harper is the Scarlet Knights’ offensive spearhead, shooting 41.2 percent from 3 point range and a career high 15.9 points per contest. Harper is also the second-leading rebounder in the team with an average score of 6.2. He also has 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Clifford Omoruyi
Rutgers 6-foot-11, big man started six games last season. But hes now a full-fledged star with the Scarlet Knights in his 2nd season. Hes averaged a team-best 11.4 points per match and leads the group with eight boards per night. Omoruyi was not a Buckeyes player last season so hell be a new face in an Ohio State frontcourt.
Geo Baker
Baker is a double digit scorer in Rutgers’ backcourt for the fifth consecutive season, scoring an average 11.6 points per contest. The Scarlet Knights’ second-leading assist man is Baker, who stands at 6 feet 4 inches. He has averaging 4.1 assists per game this season. Baker has been inconsistent offensively. He scored zero points against Northwestern after scoring 25 against Minnesota 10 days before. But, he is still a serious threat to Ohio State.
How it plays out
Line: Ohio State-3.5, O/U 136.5
The Scarlet Knights have a significant advantage at home because of the RAC and Rutgers’ positional size. The Buckeyes are still the better team if the Buckeyes can avoid road lulls like they did against Xavier and Purdue.
Prediction: Ohio State 69, Rutgers 66
