After a disappointing road loss to Minnesota, Rutgers men’s basketball will look to rebound with a win over Washington at home on Tuesday. A Scarlet Knights win over the Huskies will go a long way to ensuring that Rutgers does not have to play in round one of the Big Ten tournament, as they will have another head-to-head tiebreaker with a team that ranks similarly in the Big Ten standings.
Washington’s game against Rutgers is the second leg of a two-game East Coast road trip for the Huskies, after
they lost to Maryland 64-60 in the first game. Washington was struggling even before they made the cross-country trip, as they are 1-4 in their last five games.
The injury bug has hit the Huskies hard this season, as they had five players out last game and have had other players miss significant time before that.
Forward Hannes Steinbach does it all for Washington as he leads the team in points per game with 17.8 points per game and rebounds per game with 10.9, while shooting over 55 percent on all field goals. The Huskies’ secondary scorer is guard Zoom Diallo, who is averaging 14.9 points per game. Center Franck Kepnang is second on the team in rebounds per game with 6.3 per game.
As a team, Washington averages 76.2 points per game, 36.8 rebounds per game, and 13.6 assists per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field, 76.3 percent from the line, and 31.8 percent from three. In comparison, Rutgers averages 70.2 points per game, 33.7 rebounds per game, and 11.7 assists per game while shooting 41.7 percent from the field, 73.3 percent from the line, and 32.2 percent from three.
On top of the fact that this game will play a huge role in who gets the first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament, it also has another storyline, as this is the first time former Rutgers center Lathan Sommerville is returning to Piscataway wearing another team’s jersey. Sommerville left the team last offseason after just one year with the program.
The Knights will have to play tough defense underneath the basket if they hope to secure a win in this game. The Huskies struggle beyond the arc, but have high shooting percentages around the basket, meaning that Rutgers will have to play them tough inside to get them off their game and hopefully slow them down. This, coupled with the improved offense the Knights have shown of late, and the fact that Washington is in the midst of a long road trip, should be enough to keep Rutgers competitive and hopefully tip the scales in their favor. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Knights a 30 percent chance to win.
Rutgers vs Washington will tip off tomorrow inside Jersey Mike’s Arena at 6:30 pm. Live coverage for the game will be available on the Big Ten Network.
