Rutgers men’s basketball is set to resume conference play tomorrow, as they will play host to Ohio State, who are coming off a dominating 89-63 win over Grambling State.
The Buckeyes are coming into this
game with a record of 9-3. All three of their losses came by 8 points or less, with two of those losses being an 8-point loss to No.13 Illinois and a 1-point loss to No.12 North Carolina. Ohio State has also flexed its muscles against other good competition, as its record includes wins over Notre Dame, Northwestern, West Virginia, and Mount St. Mary’s, which was in the NCAA tournament last year. The Scarlet Knights lost to that same Notre Dame team in the Player Era Tournament.
The Buckeyes have three players averaging 14 points per game or more, including guard Bruce Thornton, who is averaging 21 points per game, guard John Mobley Jr., who is averaging 14.3 points per game, and Forward Devin Royal, who is averaging 14 points per game. Thornton also leads the team in assists per game with 4.2, while Center Cristoph Tilly leads the team in rebounds with 5.9 per game.
As a whole, Ohio State is averaging 86.3 points and 36.9 rebounds per game. Rutgers, in contrast, is averaging 68.7 points per game and 36.4 rebounds per game.
The Buckeyes, as a team, like to attack the paint. In their one-point loss to North Carolina, Ohio State scored 38 points in the paint compared to UNC’s 34. The same was true during their loss to Illinois when the Buckeyes scored 10 more points in the paint than their ranked opponent. The Knights have already shown that they struggled mightily to defend the paint, so that is likely where Ohio State will attack all game.
Confidence is low around the Rutgers men’s basketball program right now. Ohio State is a very good team that has battled for 40 minutes with some of the best teams in the country. If the Knights can keep it close for most of the game, that should inspire a little confidence as they head deeper into Big Ten play. However, to do that, the team must be much more efficient on the scoring and turnovers, while being more aggressive on the defensive end.
Rutgers vs Ohio State is set to tip off tomorrow, 1/2, at 8 pm inside Jersey Mike’s Arena. Live coverage for the game will be available on Peacock.
