Tuesday, November 30
Piscataway, N.J.
9 PM
Rutgers University
vs
Clemson
Photo by: Ben Solomon
Men's Basketball Starts NCAA Tournament Against Notre Dame
Mar 14 | Men's Basketball
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11-Seed RU faces 11-Seed Fighting Irish Wednesday night in First Four
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers men's basketball team (18-13, 12-8 Big Ten) is back in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. The Scarlet Knights earned a No. 11 seed in the West Region and will face fellow No. 11 seed Notre Dame in the First Four Wednesday night at approximately 9:10 pm.
The winner of Wednesday's game will advance face No. 6 Alabama on Friday at 4:15 pm in San Diego.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at UD Arena. Tip-off will be approximately 9:10 p.m. (ET)
TV: TruTV (Tom McCarthy, Steve Lavin, Avery Johnson, Jon Rothstein)
Radio:
RUTGERS SEASON NOTES
The Scarlet Knights' NCAA Tournament resume was buoyed by some top-level victories over the course of the season, as the Scarlet Knights claimed five ranked wins, first defeating No. 1 Purdue in December, then having a historic stretch in February with four straight ranked wins (No. 13 Michigan State, No. 16 Ohio State, No. 14 Wisconsin, No. 12 Illinois).
Rutgers had:
Notre Dame went 22-10 overall and 15-5 in the ACC, with a resume highlighted by a win over two-seed Kentucky to make its 37th overall apperance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2016-17.
Individually, the Fighting Irish are led by Blake Wesley (14.6 points per game) and Dane Goodwin (13.9 ppg). Paul Atkinson Jr. leads the team in rebounding at 7.0 rpg. Wesley (Second Team) and Goodwin (Third Team) were named All-ACC.
ND is second in the nation in fouls per game (12.9), 16th in three-point field goal percentage (38.0) and 32nd in fewest turnovers (331).
Rutgers holds a 13-20 lifetime record against Notre Dame as the former BIG EAST foes prepare for their 34th lifetime meeting. Rutgers is 2-4 in the past six meetings, with Notre Dame holding a three-game winning streak and is 9-2 in the past 11 meetings dating back to 2006.
Both programs left the conference at the end of the 2012-13 season, with the Irish departing for the ACC. The teams met 25 times as BIG EAST members from 1995 to 2013. This will be their first NCAA Tournament meeting. Steve Pikiell faced Notre Dame three times while at Stony Brook, with an 0-3 record (meetings in 2006-07, 2010-11 and 2015-16). ND Head coach Mike Brey faced Rutgers' 20 times as the Irish head coach, with a 14-6 record.
Current Rutgers radio analyst Austin Johnson turned in a career performance in his final game wearing a Rutgers uniform against Notre Dame, scoring 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor and adding six rebounds in a Big East Championship matchup.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Rutgers is making its eighth lifetime appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Scarlet Knights are in the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons for just the second time in program history, matching the programs first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 1975 and 1976.
Rutgers has a 6-8 record all-time in NCAA games, including a Final Four appearance in 1976 following a 31-0 unbeaten record in the regular season. Last season, Rutgers made its first NCAA Tournament since 1991, and defeated Clemson in the First Round to mark its first NCAA Tournament win since 1983.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
1975 (0-1)
Louisville 91, Rutgers 87
1976 (3-2, Final Four Appearance)
Rutgers 54, Princeton 53
Rutgers 93, Connecticut 97
Rutgers 91, VMI 75
Michigan 85, Rutgers 70
UCLA 106, Rutgers 92
1979 (1-1)
Rutgers 64, Georgetown 58
St. John's 67, Rutgers 65
1983 (1-1)
Rutgers 60, Southwestern Louisiana 53
St. John's 66, Rutgers 55
1989 (0-1)
Iowa 87, Rutgers 73
1991 (0-1)
Arizona State 79, Rutgers 76
2021 (1-1)
Rutgers 60, Clemson 56
Houston 63, Rutgers 60
RUTGERS IN THE 2021 NCAA TOURNAMENT
Last season was a historic NCAA Tournament for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991, snapping a 30-year drought.
Then, RU validated its place in the field with the program's first NCAA Tournament win in 38 years, defeating No. 7 seeded Clemson in the opening round, 60-56. Caleb McConnell had a double-double in that contest with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Geo Baker shared the team lead with 13 points. The victory over No. 7 Clemson marked the highest seeded team RU defeated since a win over 3-seed Georgetown in 1979.
QUOTABLE
"I think it's a different type of mentality," Geo Baker said. "Everyone's just real locked in, focused. We've all been here before, so we know what it takes, but we're only focused on one game, and that's Notre Dame."
RUTGERS STAFF IN THE POSTSEASON
The Rutgers men's basketball staff has a deep experience with the postseason, even prior to last season's NCAA run.
Head Coach Steve Pikiell makes his third NCAA Tournament appearance as a head coach, and second straight at Rutgers. Previously he also led Stony Brook to an America East championship in 2016, where the Seawolves lost to Kentucky in the opening round. Pikiell also made three NCAA Tournament appearances as an assistant coach: 2005 with George Washington, 2000 with Central Connecticut State and 1992 with UConn. As a player, he made led 11-seed UConn to a Sweet Sixteen in 1991.
QUAD 1 SUCCESS
Rutgers has 6 wins against Quad 1 opponents this season. There are only 16 teams in the country who have beaten more Quad 1 opponents than Rutgers.
Rutgers has claimed five ranked wins over Big Ten teams: No. 1 Purdue, No. 12 Illinois, No. 13 Michigan State, No. 14 Wisconsin, and No. 16 Ohio State. 5 of the six Quad 1 victories came over teams that were No. 22 or better in the nation.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Rutgers is as battle tested as any team in the nation with 12 matchups against Quad 1 opponents. ESPN has ranked Rutgers's strength of schedule 27th toughest in the nation.
BIG TEN CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Rutgers is the only team in the Big Ten Conference that has defeated the No. 1-No. 11 seeds in the Big Ten Conference Tournament. The Scarlet Knights claimed wins over teams that were seeded: No. 1 (Illinois), No. 2 (Wisconsin), No. 3 (Purdue), No. 5 (Iowa), No. 6 (Ohio State), No. 7 (Michigan State), No. 8 (Michigan), No. 9 (Indiana), No. 10 (Maryland), No. 11 (Penn State)
Gallery: (3-15-2022) Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament Practic
The winner of Wednesday's game will advance face No. 6 Alabama on Friday at 4:15 pm in San Diego.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at UD Arena. Tip-off will be approximately 9:10 p.m. (ET)
TV: TruTV (Tom McCarthy, Steve Lavin, Avery Johnson, Jon Rothstein)
Radio:
- RWJBarnabas Health Rutgers Sports Network (Jerry Recco, Austin Johnson)
- FOX Sports New Jersey 93.5-FM & 1450-AM, XM 84 / Sirius 84 WOR 710-AM, Scarlet Knights App
- Westwood One (Lance Medow/Stephen Bardo)
- WRSU 88.7 FM (Chris Tsakonas/Dylan Allen)
RUTGERS SEASON NOTES
- Rutgers' 12 Big Ten Conference wins were a program best since joining the league
- Rutgers' ensured its third consecutive winning season, a feat that RU had not accomplished since 1988-89 through 1990-91 in the Atlantic 10
- Rutgers won double-digit Big Ten games for the third consecutive season. RU previously only had one other stretch in history winning double-digit conference games, coming from 1988-89 to 1990-91 in the A-10
- Finished fourth place in the Big Ten, team's highest conference finish since winning A-10 in 1990-91
The Scarlet Knights' NCAA Tournament resume was buoyed by some top-level victories over the course of the season, as the Scarlet Knights claimed five ranked wins, first defeating No. 1 Purdue in December, then having a historic stretch in February with four straight ranked wins (No. 13 Michigan State, No. 16 Ohio State, No. 14 Wisconsin, No. 12 Illinois).
Rutgers had:
- Five ranked wins on the season, the most ranked wins in one season in program history
- Four straight wins over ranked teams, extending RU's program-record streak of consecutive wins over ranked teams
- Four ranked wins in 4 consecutive games, as RU became the first unranked team in NCAA history to defeat four straight ranked teams
- RU holds a 5-3 record against ranked teams
- 13 ranked wins under coach Steve Pikiell, passing Tom Young for the most ranked wins for a coach in Rutgers program history
- Rutgers became the first team in NCAA Division I college basketball with wins in four consecutive games coming over ranked teams since Michigan State did so to close out the 2019-20 season
- Win over No. 1 Purdue was program's first ever win over a No. 1 team
- Win at No. 14 Wisconsin was first-ever win at the Kohl Center.
- Rutgers won 8 games against NCAA Tournament Teams (Purdue, Michigan, Iowa, Michigan St., Ohio St., Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois)
- Rutgers would claim NCAA Tournament wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.
- Rutgers would win its seventh all-time NCAA Tournament game.
- Rutgers first ever "First Four" victory.
- Rutgers would claim a victory in its fifth different NCAA Tournament.
- Rutgers would win its 14th game lifetime vs. Notre Dame and first since 2012.
Notre Dame went 22-10 overall and 15-5 in the ACC, with a resume highlighted by a win over two-seed Kentucky to make its 37th overall apperance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2016-17.
Individually, the Fighting Irish are led by Blake Wesley (14.6 points per game) and Dane Goodwin (13.9 ppg). Paul Atkinson Jr. leads the team in rebounding at 7.0 rpg. Wesley (Second Team) and Goodwin (Third Team) were named All-ACC.
ND is second in the nation in fouls per game (12.9), 16th in three-point field goal percentage (38.0) and 32nd in fewest turnovers (331).
Rutgers holds a 13-20 lifetime record against Notre Dame as the former BIG EAST foes prepare for their 34th lifetime meeting. Rutgers is 2-4 in the past six meetings, with Notre Dame holding a three-game winning streak and is 9-2 in the past 11 meetings dating back to 2006.
Both programs left the conference at the end of the 2012-13 season, with the Irish departing for the ACC. The teams met 25 times as BIG EAST members from 1995 to 2013. This will be their first NCAA Tournament meeting. Steve Pikiell faced Notre Dame three times while at Stony Brook, with an 0-3 record (meetings in 2006-07, 2010-11 and 2015-16). ND Head coach Mike Brey faced Rutgers' 20 times as the Irish head coach, with a 14-6 record.
Current Rutgers radio analyst Austin Johnson turned in a career performance in his final game wearing a Rutgers uniform against Notre Dame, scoring 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor and adding six rebounds in a Big East Championship matchup.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Rutgers is making its eighth lifetime appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Scarlet Knights are in the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons for just the second time in program history, matching the programs first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 1975 and 1976.
Rutgers has a 6-8 record all-time in NCAA games, including a Final Four appearance in 1976 following a 31-0 unbeaten record in the regular season. Last season, Rutgers made its first NCAA Tournament since 1991, and defeated Clemson in the First Round to mark its first NCAA Tournament win since 1983.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
1975 (0-1)
Louisville 91, Rutgers 87
1976 (3-2, Final Four Appearance)
Rutgers 54, Princeton 53
Rutgers 93, Connecticut 97
Rutgers 91, VMI 75
Michigan 85, Rutgers 70
UCLA 106, Rutgers 92
1979 (1-1)
Rutgers 64, Georgetown 58
St. John's 67, Rutgers 65
1983 (1-1)
Rutgers 60, Southwestern Louisiana 53
St. John's 66, Rutgers 55
1989 (0-1)
Iowa 87, Rutgers 73
1991 (0-1)
Arizona State 79, Rutgers 76
2021 (1-1)
Rutgers 60, Clemson 56
Houston 63, Rutgers 60
RUTGERS IN THE 2021 NCAA TOURNAMENT
Last season was a historic NCAA Tournament for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991, snapping a 30-year drought.
Then, RU validated its place in the field with the program's first NCAA Tournament win in 38 years, defeating No. 7 seeded Clemson in the opening round, 60-56. Caleb McConnell had a double-double in that contest with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Geo Baker shared the team lead with 13 points. The victory over No. 7 Clemson marked the highest seeded team RU defeated since a win over 3-seed Georgetown in 1979.
QUOTABLE
"I think it's a different type of mentality," Geo Baker said. "Everyone's just real locked in, focused. We've all been here before, so we know what it takes, but we're only focused on one game, and that's Notre Dame."
RUTGERS STAFF IN THE POSTSEASON
The Rutgers men's basketball staff has a deep experience with the postseason, even prior to last season's NCAA run.
Head Coach Steve Pikiell makes his third NCAA Tournament appearance as a head coach, and second straight at Rutgers. Previously he also led Stony Brook to an America East championship in 2016, where the Seawolves lost to Kentucky in the opening round. Pikiell also made three NCAA Tournament appearances as an assistant coach: 2005 with George Washington, 2000 with Central Connecticut State and 1992 with UConn. As a player, he made led 11-seed UConn to a Sweet Sixteen in 1991.
QUAD 1 SUCCESS
Rutgers has 6 wins against Quad 1 opponents this season. There are only 16 teams in the country who have beaten more Quad 1 opponents than Rutgers.
Rutgers has claimed five ranked wins over Big Ten teams: No. 1 Purdue, No. 12 Illinois, No. 13 Michigan State, No. 14 Wisconsin, and No. 16 Ohio State. 5 of the six Quad 1 victories came over teams that were No. 22 or better in the nation.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Rutgers is as battle tested as any team in the nation with 12 matchups against Quad 1 opponents. ESPN has ranked Rutgers's strength of schedule 27th toughest in the nation.
BIG TEN CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Rutgers is the only team in the Big Ten Conference that has defeated the No. 1-No. 11 seeds in the Big Ten Conference Tournament. The Scarlet Knights claimed wins over teams that were seeded: No. 1 (Illinois), No. 2 (Wisconsin), No. 3 (Purdue), No. 5 (Iowa), No. 6 (Ohio State), No. 7 (Michigan State), No. 8 (Michigan), No. 9 (Indiana), No. 10 (Maryland), No. 11 (Penn State)
Players Mentioned
Guard
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