Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Super Bowl
A Big Ten battle is booked for Saturday afternoon between the #24 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (16-8, 16-8-0 ATS, 8-5 Big Ten) and the Illinois Fighting Illini (16-7, 15-8-0 ATS, 7-5 Big Ten). It'll be the only meeting these schools have in the regular season. Rutgers won the last matchup, 70-59, but has never won on the road against Illinois. This game is taking place in State Farm Arena in Champaign, Illinois. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. EST.
Rutgers is ranked #24 in the nation despite only a 2-5 in road games this season. They've lost three straight on the road, including Tuesday's game against Indiana. They struggled to shoot in that one, 39.7% from the field as a team, and trailed for most of the second half. Clifford Omoruyi put up 15 points to pace the team.
The Scarlet Knights' offense has been holding them back this season. They play at a slow pace, ranking 243rd in adjusted tempo, but their shooting numbers aren't great. They shoot 32.2% on threes, which is ninth in the Big Ten. Overall, they shoot 43.7% from the floor which is 11th in the conference.
Contrast that with their performance on the other end, where they are ranked second in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency. They hold teams to 58.7 points per game, sixth in the country. Opponents are only shooting 37.8% against them, the fourth-best mark nationwide. On threes, that number is 29.3%, 16th in the nation. All of those numbers lead the Big Ten, arguably the toughest conference in college basketball.
KenPom has the Scarlet Knights ranked as the 17th-best team in the nation, largely because of their defense. They are currently projected to earn a five-seed in the NCAA tournament according to the latest Bracketology update. They are tied for second in the Big Ten but 3.5 games behind Purdue as the season winds down.
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