After Rutgers outlasted Lehigh 84-72 in a game led by Dylan Grant and Emmanuel Ogbole, the Scarlet Knights will once again look to go 2-0 at home this week, as they are set to play American University
on Tuesday and Central Connecticut State on Friday.
The Eagles are coming off one of their most successful seasons in program history. Last year, American won the Patriot League tournament and was invited to participate in the NCAA tournament as a part of the first-four, the competition to see who the 16th seeds would be, where they were eliminated by Mt St Mary’s. They are 2-2 so far this season with wins over Penn and Central Penn, and losses to George Washington and Wake Forest.
The Eagles’ top scorers are forward Greg Jones and guard Wyatt Nausadis, who are averaging 13.8 and 13.5 points a game. Another leader on the team is forward Julen Iturbe, who averages 9.8 points per game and holds a team-high average in both rebounds (5.5 per game) and assists (3 per game).
A major reason for their two losses this season is that American has been shaky on the defensive side of the ball. Aside from their game against DII Central Penn, the Eagles have surrendered an average of 91 points so far this season. If the Knights’ defense can slow down American’s offense, their own offense should be able to put up enough points to secure the win.
The Blue Devils are a much more familiar opponent for Rutgers coaches, as they have played against each other several times throughout head coach Steve Pikiell’s tenure. Like American, CCSU is 2-2 to start the year, with the two wins coming against DIII Vermont State-Johnson and Boston College, and the two losses coming against Quinnipiac and UMass.
Forward Darin Smith Jr. leads the Blue Devils on offense, averaging 15.5 points per game. He is the only CCSU player averaging more than 10 points per game this season. Other notable contributors are guard James Jones, who leads the team in average rebounds per game with 7.2, and guard Jay Rodgers, who is averaging 5.2 assists per game.
The Knights should be looking to come out of the gate hot in this game and pull away early to snuff out the chances for an upset. The Blue Devils have already upset a lower-tier high-major team this year. With that being said, they have struggled to pile on points against better competition this season and will be looking to drag Rutgers into the mud. The Knights should look to score early and often in this game to avoid playing into CCSU’s trap.
Rutgers is set to take on American at 6:30 tomorrow, while their game against the Blue Devils is scheduled for 6:30 on Friday. Live coverage for both games will be available on BTN.
