TKR Preview: Rutgers Basketball versus Miami Hurricanes
Last week the Rutgers men's basketball team played in a very close game agains the Boston University Terriers and sneaked away with a 54-44 victory on Friday night. This week the Scarlet Knights will have a bigger test as they travel down to Florida to take on the 5-1 Miami Hurricanes.
Tonight's game will be no slouch as the Hurricanes are a very good program and the teams only loss came to Seton Hall last week by a score of 83-81. Here's everything you need to know about tonight's game.
WHEN: Wednesday at 7:15pm EST, ESPNU
WHO: Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Miami Hurricanes
WHERE: Watsco Center - Coral Gables, Florida
KENPOM RANKINGS: Rutgers - 114 / Miami - 23
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
#0 G Chris Lykes (2018-19 stats): 19.3ppg, 3.2rpg, 3.3apg
THE SKINNY: The second year guard has been quite productive over his two years, despite being small in stature. The former four-star guard didn't have a great freshman season as he only averaged 9.6ppg, but this season he has turned the corner so far. Lykes has yet to drop less then 17 points in a single game so far and has been shooting a resounding 45.7 from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. One thing to keep an eye on is Lykes also averages 2.3 steals per game, which could cause problems for Rutgers guards who are struggling to hold onto the ball at times.
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#1 G Dejan Vasiljevic (2018-19 stats): 14.7ppg, 4.8rpg, 2.2apg
THE SKINNY: The Australian two guard has been absolutely lighting it up this season from beyond the arc, shooting 52.5%, while averaging 6.7 attempts per game. That is one of the top three point percentages in the country right now and between the two Hurricane guards it will be a tough matchup for Rutgers.
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RECORD LAST SEASON: 22-10 (11-7) / Significant wins against no. 12 Minnesota, no. 24 Florida State, and No. 9 North Carolina.
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the 16th contest between the two schools and Miami leads the series 10-5 after a 61-73 victory back in 2016.
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