Rutgers and Syracuse haven’t played each other in men’s basketball since the Orange left the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference after the 2012-13 season. Rutgers has since joined the Big Ten, and the two are matched up against one another in the ACC/Big Ten challenge. 

Syracuse is 3-4 in its regular season games against Big Ten foes in the challenge and will travel to Piscataway, New Jersey for a 9:30 p.m. tip-off at the Rutgers Athletic Center on Tuesday night.

Here’s what you need to know about the Scarlet Knights ahead of tipoff:

All-time series: Syracuse leads 39-9

Last time they played: Syracuse 78, Rutgers 53 on Jan. 2, 2013

The Orange have dominated the head-to-head with the State University of New Jersey and have won 12 straight games in the series. Rutgers hasn’t played SU since the latter left the Big East. In that blowout Syracuse win in 2013, Brandon Triche scored 25 points, and Michael Carter-Williams tallied 10 assists. 

KenPom odds: Rutgers has a 61% projected chance to win the game by a predicted final score of 72-69

The Rutgers report: 

Rutgers was having its best season of the 21st century when COVID-19 ruined any chance of it having a run in the Big Ten or NCAA Tournament. The Scarlet Knights finished 2019-20 with a winning record in the Big Ten, won 18 of their 19 games at the RAC and were solidly in the NCAA Tournament field by year’s end.

Only one of their primary players, Akwasi Yeboah, isn’t returning in 2020-21. The Scarlet Knights are projected to be in the upper tier of teams within their conference, even if they may not compete for a league title. Senior guard Geo Baker may not play, as he’s nursing an ankle injury, Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said in a press conference Monday.

The Scarlet Knights don’t shoot a lot of threes. They ranked 327th out of 353 D-1 teams in percentage of shots that were threes, and they are a big, physical team who loves to rebound. They had one of the best 2-point defenses in the country last season and have continued that through their first three wins of 2020. They’re an above average team on both the offensive and defensive glass, and they rank 78th so far this season in minutes continuity returning from last season. 

This is largely the same Rutgers team returning from last year, with their main trio of scorers Montez Mathis, Ron Harper and Jacob Young all back and looking to make a deep run in March.

How Syracuse beats Rutgers: 

The Orange have to shoot well if they want to have any chance of winning this game. Rutgers has interior advantages both offensively and defensively, so the Orange have to beat the Scarlet Knights where they aren’t quite as good: the perimeter. 

If Joe Girard III and Alan Griffin make their 3s, Syracuse can secure a marquee road win. If they don’t, the Orange could have a tough time matching the physicality of Rutgers. Marek Dolezaj will need to stay out of foul trouble as well, as the Scarlet Knights will most certainly look to force the Orange’s only experienced big man out of the game early.

Stat to know: 19.4%

Rutgers center Myles Johnson has a 19.4% block rate through three games in 2020, making him the third-most successful shot blocker in the country. The Orange haven’t faced a player this year with the abilities of Johnson both in shot blocking and rebounding, and Dolezaj will have a tough matchup Tuesday night.

Player to watch: Ron Harper Jr., No. 24, junior forward

Ron Harper Jr. was Rutgers most efficient and second-most used offensive player in 2019-20. The forward is a streaky 3-point shooter who can shoot it if he gets hot early, but he prefers to get to the basket. He’s mocked as a future NBA draft pick, and his dad, Ron Harper, had a lengthy playing career in the NBA. He’s excellent at off-ball movement and could be a problem for Griffin or Quincy Guerrier when monitoring their zones.

Published on December 7, 2020 at 11:03 pm

Contact Anthony: amdabbun@syr.edu | @AnthonyDabbundo