Rutgers Basketball Starts Last Road Trip of Regular Season at Maryland
· Yahoo Sports
After lackluster performances against Minnesota and Washington, Rutgers basketball hopes to finish out its last three games of the regular season on a high note and secure a first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament. The first of those three games comes at Maryland, another team that is also in the hunt for a first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament.
Maryland has had a hard fall from grace this season after last season, when they advanced all the way to the sweet 16 before being knocked out by eventual national champion, Florida. This year, the first season under new head coach Buzz Williams, the Terrapins have been keeping Rutgers company near the bottom of the Big Ten standings, as they currently stand at 11-17 overall and 4-13 in Big Ten play. However, despite the Terrapins’ struggles, they have been playing better as of late, earning wins over Washington, Iowa, and Minnesota. The Scarlet Knights beat Maryland at home earlier this month and will have to do the same on the road if they hope to remain above the Terrapins in the Big Ten standings, as both teams have the same record in conference play currently.
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Guard David Coit leads the Terrapins’ active players in points per game as he is averaging 14.1 points per contest. Coit also leads the team in assists with 2.8 per game. Forward Solomon Washington leads the team with 9.5 rebounds per game while adding 10.4 points per game.
Maryland has been without one of their best players, guard Pharrel Payne, for most of the season. Payne suffered a leg injury in December and will likely be unavailable for this matchup, despite not being branded as out for the season. He averaged 17.5 points and 7.2 rebounds in the 10 games he suited up for the Terrapins.
Maryland, as a team, averages 70.9 points per game, 35 rebounds per game, and 10.6 assists per game while shooting 40.8 percent from the field, 72.5 percent from the line, and 32.3 percent from three. Rutgers, on the other hand, averages 70.3 points per game, 33.6 rebounds per game, and 11.7 assists per game while shooting 41.6 percent from the field, 73.2 percent from the line, and 32 percent from three.
After their losses to Minnesota and Washington, Rutgers game against Maryland has essentially become must-win territory if they want to skip the first round of the Big Ten tournament. Right now, the Knights are listed as the 14th-best team in the conference, narrowly avoiding the four-team first-round cutoff. However, three teams below them have the same conference record, and the only thing keeping Rutgers in the lead is their head-to-head wins. If the Knights lose this game, they lose their head-to-head advantage and fall one game behind the Terrapins in the standings.
Rutgers and Maryland will tip off inside the Xfinity Center in College Park at noon tomorrow. Live coverage for the game will be available on FS1.