After winning their last two games, Rutgers basketball will look to make it three straight as they head out to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers. After starting the season 3-1 in Big Ten play with wins over No.19 Iowa and No.22 Indiana, Minnesota hit a wall in mid January and has gone 2-9 in their last 11 games. Strangely enough, one of those wins was against Michigan State, which is considered the 15th-best team in the country currently, and one of their losses came against Penn State, which currently sits at the bottom of the Big Ten rankings.
One of the main reasons for this inconsistency is that Minnesota has been battered by injuries all season. The Gophers had six players out in their last game against Oregon, but were still able to pull off the win.
Guard Cade Tyson leads Minnesota in points per game with 19.2. Forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson is second on the team in points per game with 13.4 and leads the team in rebounds per game with 6.8, but he missed the last game due to a foot injury and isn’t guaranteed to play in this game. In his absence, guard Isaac Asuma becomes the secondary scoring option for Minnesota, as he is averaging 10.9 points per game, while Tyson becomes the leading rebounder, averaging 5.5 per game.
As a team, the Gophers average 70.6 points per game, 32.6 rebounds per game, and 17.3 assists per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the field, 69.3 percent from the line, and 33.3 percent from three. Rutgers, in comparison, averages 70.6 points per game, 34.2 rebounds per game, and 11.3 assists per game while shooting 41.6 percent from the field, 73.3 percent from the line, and 32 percent from three.
Both of these teams are very evenly matched on paper. Minnesota plays good, team-oriented basketball with a lot of passing; however, its depleted numbers are taking a toll on the team’s capabilities. On top of that, they are making the long trip home after a two game west coast road trip that concluded on Tuesday, which can take a toll on the team as well. Both of these factors play into Rutgers’ favor, but they need to come out and play with the same energy and defensive aggressiveness they showed against Penn State if they hope to steal a win in front of the hostile crowd. A lot also depends on who is available for Minnesota and if they are going to get any reinforcements coming back from IR. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Gophers an 80.8 percent chance to win.
Rutgers vs Minnesota will tip off at 12 pm EST inside Williams Arena in Minneapolis. The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
