Day two of the Big Ten Tournament begins early on Thursday when the 9-seed Rutgers Scarlet Knights (18-13, 17-13-1 ATS, 10-10 Big Ten) take on the 8-seed Michigan Wolverines (17-14, 17-13-1 ATS, 11-9 Big Ten). Rutgers finished the season by dropping a home game 65-53 to Northwestern, losing outright as 5-point favorites. Michigan just lost in overtime to #15 Indiana 75-73, covering the spread as 3.5-point dogs. These teams met once this season with Michigan winning by 13 on the road. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 ET from the United Center in Chicago and can be found on the Big Ten Network. The winner of this game will play Purdue in the next round.
The conference tournament will be very important to Rutgers this season. Joe Lunardi currently has Rutgers listed in his “Last Four In” section of Bracketology, meaning they are projected to get one of the last at-large bids. A few wins could lock up their spot in the Big Dance, while a loss to Michigan could potentially end their season. In their last game, Rutgers was led by Clifford Omoruyi with 14 points in the loss to Northwestern.
Here's a great look at why many think Cliff Omoruyi's the B1G's best dunker. ??@wizcliff77 x @RutgersMBB pic.twitter.com/OwLhVPG9fD
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 6, 2023
Omoruyi leads Rutgers in scoring and rebounding with 13.5 PPG and 9.8 RPG. The 6'11 240 pound junior was just named 3rd-team All-Big Ten. The big man finishes well above the rim, as seen in the video above, and finished 3rd in the conference in rebounding. Cam Spencer is 2nd on the team in scoring and the top shooter on the team as a 6'4 senior guard. Spencer averages 12.7 PPG and has knocked down 62 threes on the year. Caleb McConnell was just named Co-Defensive Player of the Year in the Big Ten. The active forward averaged 9.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG and led the conference in steals with 2.6 per game.
Rutgers is ranked 42nd overall by KenPom, which is 8th in the Big Ten. They are one of the best defensive units in the country, ranking 4th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Their offense ranks 174th in efficiency. Rutgers is currently projected to be an 11-seed in the play-in tournament by Joe Lunardi.
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