Rutgers Info
Head Coach: Steve Pikiell
Location: Piscataway, NJ
Conference: B1G
Nickname: Scarlet Knights
Clothes not to wear: Armor, Bon Jovi Concert Shirt
Line: Nebraska by 8.5
Typical Rotation Depth: 9
KenPom rank: 85
Promotion: Ladies Night, first 1000 people in the door get a Fred Hoiberg air freshener. You can buy overpriced Sangria in Section 103. You can buy a shirt touting Fred Hoiberg's good looks. What are we even doing here?
Nota bene:
- Nebraska can set the school record for consecutive home wins tonight with a win. The current record is 20.
- Nebraska leads Rutgers all time 11-9. They lead at the PBA 5-2.
- With injuries and inconsistency, Rutgers has had 8 different starting lineups in 17 games
- Rutgers lost a buy-game at Kennesaw St in a game they scheduled as a favor for freshman Ace Bailey who hails from Georgia
- Dylan Harper is the son of former NBA great Ron Harper Sr. His brother, Ron Harper Jr., played for Rutgers from 2018-2022
- This Rutgers team has plenty of length, ranking 16th in KenPom's average height metric. For comparison, Nebraska ranks 34th.
Player to watch: Ace Bailey
The 6'10" freshman seems to be a consensus lottery pick because of his size and explosiveness coupled with his wing skillset. His big issue is inconsistency as he will take bad shot or make bad decisions during games, issues that tend to be magnified on the road. Leads the team in rebounds and blocks.
Player to watch: Dylan Harper
Harper seems to be at full strength after missing some time with a bad case of the flu at the beginning of January. The 6'6" PG leads the team in scoring and assists and he's a load, getting to the FT line at will at points. If he's on from 3, he's a nightmare for the opposition.
Rutgers Roster
| Player | # | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | Summary |
| Dylan Harper | 2 | FR | G | 6-6 | 215 | 20.0 Pts 5.2 Reb 4.4 Ast |
| Airious Bailey | 4 | FR | G | 6-10 | 200 | 19.0 Pts 7.7 Reb 0.8 Ast |
| Lathan Sommerville | 24 | FR | C | 6-10 | 275 | 7.2 Pts 4.4 Reb 0.5 Ast |
| Jeremiah Williams | 25 | SR | G | 6-5 | 185 | 7.3 Pts 3.3 Reb 2.0 Ast |
| Jordan Derkack | 0 | JR | G | 6-5 | 205 | 7.0 Pts 3.9 Reb 2.4 Ast |
| Tyson Acuff | 5 | SR | G | 6-4 | 200 | 4.5 Pts 1.5 Reb 0.8 Ast |
| Jamichael Davis | 1 | SO | G | 6-1 | 175 | 4.0 Pts 1.2 Reb 1.6 Ast |
| Emmanuel Ogbole | 21 | JR | C | 6-10 | 260 | 3.8 Pts 3.8 Reb 0.1 Ast |
| PJ Hayes | 23 | SR | F | 6-6 | 215 | 3.5 Pts 1.9 Reb 0.6 Ast |
| Zach Martini | 99 | SR | F | 6-7 | 235 | 3.7 Pts 1.9 Reb 0.3 Ast |
| Dylan Grant | 9 | FR | F | 6-7 | 205 | 3.0 Pts 1.8 Reb 0.5 Ast |
Rutgers' center position is mostly a 2 man rotation and both dudes are big rebounders/shot blockers like Rutgers typically has. Emmanuel Ogbole has a year in the Rutgers' system though he's more foul prone and less offensively skilled than true freshman Lathan Sommerville. Tough but poor shooting Jeremiah Williams had one of his best games of the season coming off the bench vs UCLA. He leads the team in steals. Jamichael Davis has a similar game but is even worse offensively. Another defensive pest/offensive mess, Jordan Derkack, appeared to be a clean scratch vs UCLA after playing double digit minutes in every other game. Eastern Michigan transfer Tyson Acuff is Rutgers' annual "one guy who is good at 3s. Senior Princeton Transfer Forward Zach Martini is a capable stretch 4 but has seen his numbers and minutes crater in conference play.
UNL Game Notes
Roster/infirmary report
Possible starters for Nebraska
3 Guard Brice Williams 6-7 214 lbs Senior
4 Forward Juwan Gary 6-6 226 lbs Senior
24 Guard Rollie Worster 6-5 210 lbs Senior
34 Center Braxton Meah 7-1 264 lbs Senior
9 Forward Berke Büyüktuncel 6-10 244 lbs
Bench
0 Guard Connor Essegian 6-4 190 lbs Junior
1 Guard Sam Hoiberg 6-0 185 lbs Junior
2 Guard Ahron Ulis 6-3 190 lbs Senior
23 Forward Andrew Morgan 6-10 242 lbs Senior
31 Guard Cale Jacobsen 6-4 195 lbs Sophomore
12 Guard Gavin Griffiths 6-7 193 lbs Sophomore
5 Forward Braden Frager 6-7 220 lbs Freshman
8 Guard Jeffrey Grace III 6-3 200 lbs Junior
20 Forward Justin Bolis 6-8 225 lbs Sophomore
25 Guard Nick Janowski 6-4 208 lbs Freshman
35 Forward Henry Burt 6-7 222 lbs Sophomore
Out for year
51 Forward Rienk Mast 6-10 260 lbs Senior
Hoiberg Presser
The Skinny:
Nebraska is somewhat looking for answers tonight after two straight road losses but are unlikely to find any satisfactory ones as while they play a Rutgers team with a combo as talented as any in the conference, this is not the scenario that has given Nebraska problems. Nebraska has lost on the road to skilled passing teams that shredded the Huskers from 3. This Rutgers team doesn't shoot a ton nor well from 3 nor does it particularly pass the ball well. Thus, tonight is more of a "get-right" game for Nebraska against a team that is likely still trying to figure out a winning formula.
Offensively, this is one of Pikiell's best teams at Rutgers as the Knights will run in transition and really have the horses to do so this year. However, good by Rutgers' standards is middling in this conference. Despite running at the highest tempo of any Pikiell team, the Scarlet Knights struggle to score over 70 in conference. The Huskers just need to stick to the plan and this Rutgers team that doesn't make the extra pass attempt to beat them from outside.
Defensively, it's another story for Rutgers. Despite having a roster consisting of 2 NBA dudes and a bunch of defensive players, Rutgers is running their worst defense of the Pikiell era as there their defense is often waiting to break down inside. Teams are shooting 51.4% from 2 against a team that gives normally allows under 47%. Easy baskets are there to be found.
Look, it's possible that Nebraska stays in a funk and Rutgers' talented duo pulls this game out. Seems much more likely Nebraska bounces back.
Prediction: Nebraska 81 - Rutgers 70
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