Rutgers men’s basketball will play its first Big Ten road game of the season against No. 3/2 Michigan at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. The matchup, set for a 4:08 p.m. tipoff, will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network with Jason Horowitz and Shon Morris providing commentary.
The Scarlet Knights enter the contest with a 5-4 overall record and are seeking their first conference win after falling to top-ranked Purdue earlier this week. Rutgers recently concluded participation in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, where they secured an 80-65 victory over UNLV. Four of Rutgers’ five wins this season have been by double digits.
In their recent game against Purdue, Rutgers used a deep rotation with 13 players seeing action; ten played at least 12 minutes, and seven played at least 17 minutes. Freshman Harun Zrno led the team with 13 points in the second half, while Dylan Grant added 11 points and continues to lead Rutgers with an average of 15.3 points per game. Tariq Francis is also averaging double figures at 12.1 points per game and ranks second in the Big Ten for free throw percentage at 96.2 percent.
Michigan is coached by Dusty May, who has guided his teams to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments and holds a record of 94-23 over four seasons. The Wolverines are undefeated this year at 7-0 and have climbed to No. 2 in the Coaches Poll and No. 3 in the AP Poll following strong performances at the Players Era Festival, including large-margin victories over ranked opponents San Diego State, Auburn, and Gonzaga.
Yaxel Lendeborg leads Michigan with averages of 16 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and was recently named both Big Ten Player of the Week and USBWA’s Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week after his performance during the festival stretch.
The all-time series between Michigan and Rutgers stands at 18-4 in favor of Michigan; however, Rutgers has won four out of their last eight meetings against Michigan, including a sweep during February last season that featured their only win ever at Crisler Center.
This matchup marks one of Rutgers’ toughest stretches based on opponent rankings since facing multiple top-three teams during the 2008-09 season.
A win for Rutgers would mark its second-ever victory at Crisler Center as well as its first ranked win this season under head coach Steve Pikiell.
After Saturday’s game against Michigan, Rutgers will take a week off before playing Seton Hall on December 13th as part of the Garden State Hardwood Classic at Prudential Center in Newark.
