Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Northwestern Wildcats Pick & Prediction JANUARY 11th 2023
Bring on the Big Ten gauntlet.
That's the mantra of Northwestern coach Chris Collins, and why not? Coming off Sunday's 84-83 win at then-No. 15 Indiana, the Wildcats (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten) feel they've flipped the script on past struggles.
And they are eager for Wednesday's visit to Evanston, Ill., from upstart Rutgers, which downed then-top-ranked Purdue at the beginning of the month.
Ethan Wilson
"Fortunately for us, we've won some close games," Collins said. "We've taken a lot of flak throughout the years for not being able to close. These guys deserve some praise for closing (Sunday). ... We've closed some games this year that hopefully some of the experience and maybe not doing well in the past has rubbed off on this year."
Rutgers saw its five-game winning streak end with Sunday's 76-65 home loss to Iowa.
The Scarlet Knights (11-5, 3-2) trailed by 12 points at halftime and by 18 early in the second half, and they were unable to recover. Cam Spencer (13 points) and Caleb McConnell (12) were Rutgers' lone players in double figures as the team struggled to 38.1 percent shooting, including 27.8 percent from behind the arc.
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"We missed a lot of layups, timely baskets," Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. "They got off to a good start. They're a really good passing team. There's not one guy on their roster that has a negative assist to turnover ratio. So every guy can pass. They got the ball moving around."
Boo Buie scored 26 points to pace the Wildcats against Indiana. Chase Audige is Northwestern's top scorer, averaging 16 points a game on 39.6 percent shooting.
The Wildcats forced 16 turnovers and had 14 steals against the Hoosiers.
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"Even though we gave up 83 (Sunday), our defense has been our calling card," Collins said.
Northwestern leads the series with Rutgers 7-6. The Wildcats' 79-78 home victory against the Scarlet Knights in February snapped Rutgers' four-game winning streak in the series.
--Field Level Media
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Northwestern Wildcats Recap JAN 31TH 2021
Geo Baker and Montez Mathis scored 12 points apiece, and visiting Rutgers held on for a 59-56 win over Northwestern on Wednesday night in Evanston, Ill.
Eugene Omoruyi added 11 points, including a pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining to help seal the outcome. Rutgers (12-12, 5-9 Big Ten) snapped a three-game losing streak.
Vic Law led the Wildcats with 17 points, but he missed a 3-point attempt on the final possession that would have evened the score and forced overtime. A.J. Turner chipped in 11 points for Northwestern (12-12, 3-10), which sustained its season-worst fifth loss in a row.
Northwestern went on a 13-5 run to pull within 57-56 with 25 seconds to go. Law made it a one-point game as he drained back-to-back 3-pointers.
Law missed a potential go-ahead jump shot before Omoruyi increased the lead to three points with his free throws. Law missed again in the waning moments.
A 3-pointer by Aaron Falzon gave Northwestern a 38-34 lead with 12:37 remaining in the second half, but the lead quickly vanished as Rutgers recovered on offense.
The Scarlet Knights seized control with an 18-5 run that put them on top 52-43 with 5:23 left. Baker played a key role in the outburst, as he lobbed a pass to Shaquille Doorson for an alley-oop dunk, fired a pass to Omoruyi for a 3-pointer and then added a bucket of his own on a three-possession sequence.
The game was tied at 22 at the half.
Northwestern scored the first six points before Rutgers battled back to take a 14-13 lead on a 3-pointer by Baker. The Scarlet Knights increased their advantage to 22-16 on a jump shot by Myles Johnson with 3:48 left in the half.
The Wildcats responded with a 6-0 run before the break to even the score. Barret Benson had a dunk, Turner made a layup and Anthony Gaines sank a pair of free throws to erase the deficit.
Rutgers will return home for its next game against No. 21 Iowa on Saturday evening.
Meanwhile, Northwestern will hit the road to face Nebraska in a game also scheduled for Saturday evening.
--Field Level Media
- NCAAB
