Men’s Basketball Returns Home for Wolverines Saturday

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men’s basketball returns to Jersey Mikes Arena for the first time since January 13 as the Scarlet Knights will host Michigan at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be broadcast nationally on FOX with Kevin Kugler and the 5^th selection in the 1992 NBA Draft, LaPhonso Ellis, on the call.

Rutgers returns to Jersey Mike’s Arena after four straight contests away from the venue. That stretch included three true road games (at Nebraska, at Penn State, at Northwestern) and a home game at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

 

The Scarlet Knights enter the game at 11-10 overall and 4-6 in Big Ten play following a 79-72 victory at Northwestern behind a virtuoso performance from freshman Ace Bailey. The Scarlet Knights stand within a crowded pack in the league standings as one of eight teams between 4 and 6 wins.

RU has won three of the past five games. The team is looking for its first stretch of four wins in six games since opening the season with a 5-1 mark.

Rutgers shot 57.1 percent from the field against the Wildcats, the best shooting performance in a Big Ten game since 2023. The mark from three-point range was also 57.1 percent, which was the best in a Big Ten game since 2022. Ace Bailey keyed the offense, as he posted 37 points on 13-of-20 shooting, 5-of-8 from 3-point, 6-of-6 from the free throw line, six rebounds and three blocks.

Bailey became the first Division I freshman to log multiple 35-point games on the road since Trae Young in 2017-18. His 37-6-3 stat line has been reached just three times this season (twice by him) and just nine times by a freshman since 2007 and only previously by players ultimately selected No. 1 or No. 2 in the NBA Draft (Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley, Ben Simmons, Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Edwards). It was the most points by a visiting player at Welsh-Ryan Arena

Bailey’s January stretch in Big Ten play has been red hot, starting with a 39 point outburst against Indiana. Bailey has posted 194 points in eight January Big Ten games, averaging 24.3 points per game in that stretch. He also averages 9.2 rebounds per game in that eight-game stretch. In his last six games, Bailey has made 26-of-29 free throws (89.6%). In his last four games, Bailey has made 15-of-25 three-pointers (60%).

Bailey has the two highest scoring games in Big Ten play this season (39 at Indiana, 37 at Northwestern). He’s made 13 field goals in a league game three times, while the rest of the conference has only done it three times. It was his third game this season of 30+ points  and 10^th game of 20+ points. Bailey’s averaging 22.1 points per game in league play, best in the league. He also moved up to 10^th nationally overall in points per game.

Bailey and Harper each have two games this season with 36+ points. Only one other freshmen this season has scored 36+ points in a game this season (Cooper Flagg, 42 points vs. Notre Dame).

They are the only pair of two freshmen from the same team to score 36 or more points in a game twice in a season since 2004. The only players to have 3 or more games of 36+ points since 2004 are Michael Beasley (2007-08, four times, Kansas State), Kevin Durant (2006-07, four times, Texas), Rodney Stuckey (2005-06, three times, Eastern Washington) and Trae Young (2017-18, five times, Oklahoma).

RU, who has never averaged more than 69 points per game under head coach Steve Pikiell is averaging 76.6 points per game this season. Rutgers has averaged over 76.5 points per game just 14 times in the school’s 111-year history (and not since 1992-92). The last time RU averaged over even 70 points per game was 2013-14 (71.1 ppg). RU has averaged over 70 points per game for a full season just that one time since the start of the 2001-02 season.

 

Freshmen Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper are approaching historic ranks for their scoring output among Rutgers’ freshmen, each among the top scoring seasons by a true freshman Scarlet Knight.

Bailey (394 points) surpassed Geo Baker last game and is just one point behind Hollis Copeland for entering the top five of all RU true freshmen scorers. Dylan Harper (354 points) stands just one point behind Ricky Shields and four points behind Baker.

Rutgers True Freshmen Season Scoring Leaders: Total Points

1. Mike Rosario (08-09): 517
2. Phil Sellers (72-73): 506
3. Corey Sanders (15-16): 430
4. Quincy Douby (03-04): 412
5. Hollis Copeland (74-75): 395
6. Ace Bailey (24-25): 394
7. Geo Baker (17-18): 358
8. Ricky Shields (01-02): 355
9. Dylan Harper (24-25): 354

 

Under first-year head coach Dusty May, Michigan enters the matchup at 15-5 overall and 7-2 in the conference. UM is just 5-5 away from home however (3-2 in road games, 2-3 at neutral sites). The Wolverines have lost two of their last three games (overtime at Minnesota, home win over Northwestern, 27-point loss at No. 11 Purdue). Prior to that, was a five-game winning streak and a 14-3 start to the season that saw them ranked as high as No. 14 in the country.

Vlad Goldin leads the team in scoring at 15.7 points per game, one of five Wolverines in double-figures (Tre Donaldson, Danny Wolf, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Nimari Burnett are all between 10.7 and 12.9 points per game). Wolf leads the team with 9.8 rebounds, while Donaldson has a team-high 85 assists.

The team is keyed by a pair of 7-footers inside. Both Goldin (33 blocks) and Wolf (29 blocks) are in the top-10 in the league in rejections. Goldin shoots 63.5% from the field, in the top-10 nationally, while Wolf’s 7.55 defensive rebounds per game are also in the top-10 nationally.

As a team, Michigan shoots 49.9 percent from the field, averages 17.9 assists and 83.2 points per game. All three rank in the top-25 in the country.

 

Michigan leads the all-time series 16-4. However, RU has won three straight games and four of the past six contests in the series since 2022 after the Wolverines won the first 14 games. The current three-game winning streak has come at three separate venues (2023 Big Ten Tournament at the United Center in Chicago, Crisler Center in February 2024, Jersey Mike’s Arena in February 2024). The Scarlet Knights won by a 30-point margin in the last meeting, the largest margin of victory in the all-time series. Prior wins included a second half comeback for a 69-59 win at the Crisler Center, and a defensive effort in the Big Ten Tournament, where RU limited UM to 19 percent shooting in a 62-50 win. Rutgers has held Michigan under 60 points in each of the past three games.
 

• Fourth straight win over Michigan
• Five wins in the past seven games against Michigan
• Four wins in the past six games

The game against Michigan is the first of a three-home games in four span. RU remains at home to host No. 18/20 Illinois on Wednesday Feb. 5. After a trip to Maryland, the Scarlet Knights are back home on Feb. 12 to host Iowa.