Men’s basketball opens Big Ten play at Ohio State on Saturday

PISCATAWAY, NJ – After a week-long break following the team’s return from Las Vegas and the Players Era Festival, the Scarlet Knights hit the road to open Big Ten Conference play. The Scarlet Knights will play their fifth straight road game when they travel to Columbus, Ohio to face Ohio State at noon on Saturday. The game will be televised by FS1, with Connor Onion and Stephen Bardo in discussion.

Rutgers opened with a 5-3 record in eight non-conference games, following a doubleheader to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival. The Scarlet Knights had a trio of high-profile games, averaging 86.67 points per game, an overtime win over Notre Dame and narrow losses to No. 9 Alabama and No. 20 Texas A&M.

Dylan Harper earned his second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor on Monday. On pace for RU’s best single-season scoring average since Quincy Douby (25.4 ppg in the 2005-06 season, which was 6).^Th in the NCAA), Harper is currently fourth nationally and leads the Big Ten with 23.8 points per game. Harper is also 16^Th nationally in field goals (67) and 28^Th on free throws (46th). Harper had at least 14 points in every game, at least 20 in six of the eight games and averaged 30.3 points per game in the three-game tournament in Las Vegas.

Ace Bailey was another potent threat offensively for the Scarlet Knights, averaging 18.8 points per game, sixth in the Big Ten, and 52^nd national. He has scored at least 22 points in three games this season and has also had two double-digit rebounding games for RU this season.

Jeremiah Williams emerged as the third scorer at MGM Grand Arena, averaging 13.3 points per game. Williams scored 20 points against the Aggies, the most points of his 19-game Scarlet Knight career and the second-most of his college career.

As a team, Rutgers is averaging 81.4 points per game and shooting 45.8% from the field, a dramatic improvement from last season (65.4 ppg, 38.9%). Rutgers has never averaged more than 69 points per game or shot better than 45% during a season under a head coach Steve Pikiell. The last time RU averaged over 70 points per game was 2013-14 (71.1 ppg). In fact, RU has averaged over 70 points per game for an entire season since the start of the 2001-02 season.

 

Ohio State, received votes in both the AP and Coaches poll, finishing 20th^Th According to the KenPom/NET rating, he enters the match at 5-3 after losing to Maryland, 83-59, in the Big Ten opener on Wednesday night. Their non-conference record was highlighted by an 8-72 victory over then-No. 19 Texas in the opening game and also losses to common opponent Texas A&M and ACC opponent Pitt.

The Buckeyes rank sixth nationally from long range with a 42.4% shooting percentage from three-point range, making them the best among Big Ten teams. Defensively, OSU is 14th^Th in three-point defense (26.3% and 19^Th nationally in field goal percentage defense (37.3%).

Junior point guard Bruce Thorton, who averaged 15.7 points and 4.8 assists last season, currently ranks fourth nationally in assist/turnover ratio (5.33) and is 19th^Th in assists (6.0) while averaging 15.5 points this season. Freshman John Mobley Jr. is shooting 55.8 from distance and is fourth in the country, totaling 14.1 points per game, while sophomore Devin Royal is averaging 13.1 points and 7.6 rebounds.

Rutgers and Ohio State will face off for the 19th game^Th times in history, with the last 18 of those coming since 2015, RU’s first year in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes lead the series 13-5. Rutgers is 2-3 in its last five meetings after going 2-10 in its first 12 meetings as a Big Ten opponent.

Last season, RU lost 76-72 at the Schottenstein Center in January and then lost 73-51 in the Buckeyes’ return trip to Piscataway. Only one member of this year’s squad was on the team’s last trip to Columbus, namely with Jamichael Davis played 12 minutes in that meeting in January 2024. Rutgers’ last win over Ohio State came on January 15, 2023, a 68-64 overtime thriller. After this victory then recruitment Ace Bailey visited the team in the locker room after the game to tell them he was choosing RU.

RUTGERS VS. OHIO STATE (5-13)

Date W/L result
12/30/78 …….W… 97-96(OT)N
2/8/15 …………. L ………..60-79 H
01/13/16………L ………..94-68 A
02/13/16……… L ………..79-69 H
08.02.17 …………. L ………..70-64 A
08.03.17 ………….W…………66-57 N
01/14/18………L ………..46-68 H
02/20/18………L ………..52-79 A
1/9/19 ………….B………64-61 H
02/01/19 …………. L ………..76-62 A
02/12/20………L ………..72-66 A
12/23/20 …….L ………..80-68 A
1/9/21 …………. L ………..79-68 H
2/9/22 …………B…………66-64 H
12/8/22…………L…………67-66 A
01/15/23………B…..68-64(OT) H
1/3/24 ………….L …………76-72 A
3/10/24………L …………73-51 H

• 6^Th Win against Ohio State (3-3 in the last six meetings)
• Win Big Ten opener for second time in three seasons (victory over No. 8/10 Indiana, Dec. 3, 2022)

Rutgers will return home with two contests next week for the first time in 20 games. The Scarlet Knights host Penn State on Tuesday, December 10th for their first Big Ten home game of the season. This will be followed by the Garden State Hardwood Classic against Seton Hall on Saturday, December 14th.