Although the records may say something differently, Minnesota and Rutgers come into Saturday's affair on two different momentum swings.
The Scarlet Knights come in at just 8-6 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten, but on Wednesday they pulled a big upset over 16th ranked Ohio State by a score of 64-61. This is the same Buckeyes team that dispatched Minnesota by 20 points earlier in the season.
The Gophers on the other hand had a six game winning streak snapped at the hands of Maryland, 82-67.
If there was a dark cloud to obscure the rainbow in Columbus, and there was, it was the loss of their leading scorer and rebounder, Eugene Omoruyi. The 6-foot-7 power forward dislocated his left knee cap and could miss the rest of the season. He was the team's leading scorer and rebounder with 17.7 and 8.0 per game. Omoruyi was injured seven minutes into the contest, yet the Scarlet Knights still hung on for the upset.
The teams also have one other common opponent. The Wisconsin Badgers lost to Minnesota last week and defeated Rutgers 69-64. Through 14 games, Rutgers averages 68.6 points per game and give up 64.1 points for a differential of 4.5.
Offensively, the Scarlet Knights have been challenged. Besides not getting out of the sixties, they shoot 40.7 percent from the field and 31.1 percent from deep. The scoring average is good nationally for only 291st. The field goal percentage is 321st, and 297th from behind the arc.
They get to the line sixteen times per game and make just 62.7 percent of their shots. The assist to turnover rate is basically even. They average 13.2 and 13.1 per game respectively.
This program has had one intent on both ends since Steve Pikiell has been at the helm. That is to dominate the lane, and be the more physical team. Offensively, there will be nothing fancy or finesse.
Look for an old fashioned three-guard, two-post alignment. But Rutgers goes one step further. They don't usually flash the opposite post to lift the help. Both inside players look to root out position on the blocks and then crash the offensive boards. They will play an occasional four perimeter player look, but it is rare.
Pickiell will run some sets, but the aim is geared around the two posts as screeners to either free up a shooter or then get the ball inside. They will do this by screening along the baseline for a guard or having both big men play on the elbows while the cutter cuts off both men.
When they run ball screen action for Geo Baker, the post will always roll, and unlike most teams, the opposite post will not lift to create space. He will stay on the block. This team's philosophy is not about space, it is about winning the scrum in the paint. Rutgers will also give a box look with both blocks and elbows filled.
Defensively, the intent is the same; put bodies in the lane and make it a physical game. Their scoring defense puts them at 33rd in the country. They give up 41.8 percent shooting which puts them at 97th. Opponents shoot 33.7 percent from deep.
Rutgers grabs 40.6 boards per game while giving up 34.9, which puts them at 47th overall in the country. They also force 13.5 turnovers and give up 11.6 assists per outing.
They will pack the defense in with generally no defender setting a foot outside the 3-point line. They look to use their size to take away anything inside, forcing teams to beat them with contested jumpers.
Their defensive rankings for perimeter shots are lower than the ones for scoring and overall shooting percentage. With their persistence on providing help they are vulnerable to the kickoff of penetration to an open shooter. We have also seen them give up cuts on the baseline when the dribble is able to get across the foul line.
Like Maryland, the Scarlet Knights will be very young. Four of their top eight players are freshman. But the talent is nowhere near what the Terrapins possessed. Even with the injury to Omoruyi, they will be three deep in the post along with a 6-foot-10 wing.
With Omoruyi out, the leading scorer is their point guard, Geo Baker. The 6-foot-4 sophomore averages 13.1 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game. His overall field goal percentage is low at 35.9 percent, but his 3-point rate is decent at 35.6. Keep in mind, he doesn't have a lot of room to create once he gets into the lane.
Peter Kiss is an interesting study. He has started twelve out of thirteen games. His non-start was the most previous outing against Ohio State. Not only was he not in the first five, he didn't play. He has struggled in a couple of recent games. I have watched Kiss in a couple of games. He is a catch and shoot player who has a tendency to make bad shots. That doesn't fit into the offensive system that is based on being deliberate. Kiss is now the second leading scorer on the team now at 8.5 points, but it is not a given that the 6-foot-5 shooting guard will even play.
With the unrest in the lineup due to the injury and the uncertainty revolving around Kiss, Ron Harper Jr. is one of the players who has profited. The 6-foot-5 freshman averages 5.8 points per game, but he has still yet to find his shooting groove in his first season. Exactly half of his shots have been 3-pointer, but he is only 7 for 40 or 17.5 percent.
Montez Mathis was the leading scorer against Ohio State. Another freshman, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard out of Baltimore averages 5.6 points per game. His bread and butter is getting to the rim, but like the other guards, his shooting percentages are low. He shoots 30.7 percent from the field and 19 percent from behind the arc. He feel for penetration has gotten him to the line more than anyone besides Omoruyi.
Issa Thiam will be a familiar name for those who kept up with the Minnesota/Rutgers contests last season. The 6-foot-10, 190 pound junior from Dakar stands out in the crowd as he is one of the tallest shooting guards/small forwards the Gophers will run across. 44 of his 60 field goal attempts have been 3-pointers. Even though 34.1 percent is not an outstanding conversion rate, it is now the second highest on the team with Omoruyi out of the lineup. He averages 5.4 and 3.4 rebounds per game. He did not score and attempted just one shot versus the Buckeyes.
Shaq Carter will get the nod for providing the time and production that once belonged to Omoruyi. At 6-foot-9, 245 pounds, Carter gives the ruggedness and brawn that Pickiell looks for in his inside players. In his new role against Ohio State he had 11 points and 7 rebounds in 31 minutes of play. He averages 4.5 points and 3.0 boards, but expect those numbers to go up with more playing time.
Shaquille Doorson started at center in the last game and now should also be more of an inside factor. The 7-foot-0 graduate student averages 4.1 points and 5.6 rebounds and leads the team in blocked shots with 16. He doesn't get a ton of touches, but he has been effective when he has been able to shoot the ball. Doorson is 22 of 30 from the field for a blistering 73.3 percent.
Caleb McConnell is a 6-foot-6 freshman wing who came off the bench to log fourteen minutes in the last game. He averages 3.5 points per game. Half of his attempts have been 3-pointers, but like just about every other Rutgers perimeter player, he has struggled shooting the ball.
Myles Johnson rounds out the players who have gotten substantial playing time off the bench in the last few games. The 6-foot-10 freshman helps provide a ton of inside depth even with the injury to Omoruyi. He averages 3.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He has also made 51.4 percent of his shots.
The outlook
Rutgers definitely comes into Saturday's contest with its own identity. They want a low-scoring game based on physicality, half-court play with long possessions, and the hopes that both teams will struggle shooting from outside.
Whoever shoots best from behind the arc should have a big advantage. This is definitely a weakness for Rutgers and at times has been an Achilles heel for Minnesota as well.
It will also be a battle in the paint. Both teams have big front lines and both coaches like to go inside out with the ball. Expect the Gophers to attack off the high ball screen and then try to get the ball outside to Gabe Kalscheur or dump downs to Jordan Murphy and Daniel Oturu in the gaps. Transition buckets could also be huge with Amir Coffey and Dupree McBrayer out on the break for the Scarlet Knights can get their half court defense set up.
Win or lose, going through forty minutes with the Scarlet Knights will be the equivalent of a root canal.
Tip-off will be on Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m, and will be aired on the Big Ten Network.
According to kenpom.com, Minnesota has a 74 percent chance to win, and is projected to be on the victorious side, 69-62. A point spread had not been released yet when the article was published.
The Scarlet Knights come in at just 8-6 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten, but on Wednesday they pulled a big upset over 16th ranked Ohio State by a score of 64-61. This is the same Buckeyes team that dispatched Minnesota by 20 points earlier in the season.
The Gophers on the other hand had a six game winning streak snapped at the hands of Maryland, 82-67.
If there was a dark cloud to obscure the rainbow in Columbus, and there was, it was the loss of their leading scorer and rebounder, Eugene Omoruyi. The 6-foot-7 power forward dislocated his left knee cap and could miss the rest of the season. He was the team's leading scorer and rebounder with 17.7 and 8.0 per game. Omoruyi was injured seven minutes into the contest, yet the Scarlet Knights still hung on for the upset.
The teams also have one other common opponent. The Wisconsin Badgers lost to Minnesota last week and defeated Rutgers 69-64. Through 14 games, Rutgers averages 68.6 points per game and give up 64.1 points for a differential of 4.5.
Offensively, the Scarlet Knights have been challenged. Besides not getting out of the sixties, they shoot 40.7 percent from the field and 31.1 percent from deep. The scoring average is good nationally for only 291st. The field goal percentage is 321st, and 297th from behind the arc.
They get to the line sixteen times per game and make just 62.7 percent of their shots. The assist to turnover rate is basically even. They average 13.2 and 13.1 per game respectively.
This program has had one intent on both ends since Steve Pikiell has been at the helm. That is to dominate the lane, and be the more physical team. Offensively, there will be nothing fancy or finesse.
Look for an old fashioned three-guard, two-post alignment. But Rutgers goes one step further. They don't usually flash the opposite post to lift the help. Both inside players look to root out position on the blocks and then crash the offensive boards. They will play an occasional four perimeter player look, but it is rare.
Pickiell will run some sets, but the aim is geared around the two posts as screeners to either free up a shooter or then get the ball inside. They will do this by screening along the baseline for a guard or having both big men play on the elbows while the cutter cuts off both men.
When they run ball screen action for Geo Baker, the post will always roll, and unlike most teams, the opposite post will not lift to create space. He will stay on the block. This team's philosophy is not about space, it is about winning the scrum in the paint. Rutgers will also give a box look with both blocks and elbows filled.
Defensively, the intent is the same; put bodies in the lane and make it a physical game. Their scoring defense puts them at 33rd in the country. They give up 41.8 percent shooting which puts them at 97th. Opponents shoot 33.7 percent from deep.
Rutgers grabs 40.6 boards per game while giving up 34.9, which puts them at 47th overall in the country. They also force 13.5 turnovers and give up 11.6 assists per outing.
They will pack the defense in with generally no defender setting a foot outside the 3-point line. They look to use their size to take away anything inside, forcing teams to beat them with contested jumpers.
Their defensive rankings for perimeter shots are lower than the ones for scoring and overall shooting percentage. With their persistence on providing help they are vulnerable to the kickoff of penetration to an open shooter. We have also seen them give up cuts on the baseline when the dribble is able to get across the foul line.
Like Maryland, the Scarlet Knights will be very young. Four of their top eight players are freshman. But the talent is nowhere near what the Terrapins possessed. Even with the injury to Omoruyi, they will be three deep in the post along with a 6-foot-10 wing.
With Omoruyi out, the leading scorer is their point guard, Geo Baker. The 6-foot-4 sophomore averages 13.1 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game. His overall field goal percentage is low at 35.9 percent, but his 3-point rate is decent at 35.6. Keep in mind, he doesn't have a lot of room to create once he gets into the lane.
Peter Kiss is an interesting study. He has started twelve out of thirteen games. His non-start was the most previous outing against Ohio State. Not only was he not in the first five, he didn't play. He has struggled in a couple of recent games. I have watched Kiss in a couple of games. He is a catch and shoot player who has a tendency to make bad shots. That doesn't fit into the offensive system that is based on being deliberate. Kiss is now the second leading scorer on the team now at 8.5 points, but it is not a given that the 6-foot-5 shooting guard will even play.
With the unrest in the lineup due to the injury and the uncertainty revolving around Kiss, Ron Harper Jr. is one of the players who has profited. The 6-foot-5 freshman averages 5.8 points per game, but he has still yet to find his shooting groove in his first season. Exactly half of his shots have been 3-pointer, but he is only 7 for 40 or 17.5 percent.
Montez Mathis was the leading scorer against Ohio State. Another freshman, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard out of Baltimore averages 5.6 points per game. His bread and butter is getting to the rim, but like the other guards, his shooting percentages are low. He shoots 30.7 percent from the field and 19 percent from behind the arc. He feel for penetration has gotten him to the line more than anyone besides Omoruyi.
Issa Thiam will be a familiar name for those who kept up with the Minnesota/Rutgers contests last season. The 6-foot-10, 190 pound junior from Dakar stands out in the crowd as he is one of the tallest shooting guards/small forwards the Gophers will run across. 44 of his 60 field goal attempts have been 3-pointers. Even though 34.1 percent is not an outstanding conversion rate, it is now the second highest on the team with Omoruyi out of the lineup. He averages 5.4 and 3.4 rebounds per game. He did not score and attempted just one shot versus the Buckeyes.
Shaq Carter will get the nod for providing the time and production that once belonged to Omoruyi. At 6-foot-9, 245 pounds, Carter gives the ruggedness and brawn that Pickiell looks for in his inside players. In his new role against Ohio State he had 11 points and 7 rebounds in 31 minutes of play. He averages 4.5 points and 3.0 boards, but expect those numbers to go up with more playing time.
Shaquille Doorson started at center in the last game and now should also be more of an inside factor. The 7-foot-0 graduate student averages 4.1 points and 5.6 rebounds and leads the team in blocked shots with 16. He doesn't get a ton of touches, but he has been effective when he has been able to shoot the ball. Doorson is 22 of 30 from the field for a blistering 73.3 percent.
Caleb McConnell is a 6-foot-6 freshman wing who came off the bench to log fourteen minutes in the last game. He averages 3.5 points per game. Half of his attempts have been 3-pointers, but like just about every other Rutgers perimeter player, he has struggled shooting the ball.
Myles Johnson rounds out the players who have gotten substantial playing time off the bench in the last few games. The 6-foot-10 freshman helps provide a ton of inside depth even with the injury to Omoruyi. He averages 3.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He has also made 51.4 percent of his shots.
The outlook
Rutgers definitely comes into Saturday's contest with its own identity. They want a low-scoring game based on physicality, half-court play with long possessions, and the hopes that both teams will struggle shooting from outside.
Whoever shoots best from behind the arc should have a big advantage. This is definitely a weakness for Rutgers and at times has been an Achilles heel for Minnesota as well.
It will also be a battle in the paint. Both teams have big front lines and both coaches like to go inside out with the ball. Expect the Gophers to attack off the high ball screen and then try to get the ball outside to Gabe Kalscheur or dump downs to Jordan Murphy and Daniel Oturu in the gaps. Transition buckets could also be huge with Amir Coffey and Dupree McBrayer out on the break for the Scarlet Knights can get their half court defense set up.
Win or lose, going through forty minutes with the Scarlet Knights will be the equivalent of a root canal.
Tip-off will be on Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m, and will be aired on the Big Ten Network.
According to kenpom.com, Minnesota has a 74 percent chance to win, and is projected to be on the victorious side, 69-62. A point spread had not been released yet when the article was published.
