After breaking their seven-game losing streak with a win over Maryland, Rutgers basketball will look to make it two wins in a row this Wednesday as they travel out to Happy Valley to take on Penn State. The Nittany Lions suffered a loss to Oregon in the second part of their west coast trip and will only have four days to make the long trip back to play the Scarlet Knights.
Both Rutgers and Penn State are seen as some of the worst teams in the conference. The Nittany Lions sit at dead last in the conference standings with an overall record of 11-15 and a conference record of 2-13. The Knights are listed as fifth to last in the conference with a record of 10-15, and a conference record of 3-11. On top of that, Rutgers has not won a single game on the road in a hostile environment, all of their wins have either come at home or at a neutral site.
Guard Freddie Dilione V leads the Nittany Lions in points per game with 14.4, with guard Kayden Mingo not far behind at 13.9 points per game. Forward Ivan Juric leads the team in rebounds per game with 5.2 while Mingo leads the team in assists with 4.2. Mingo is the opposing player to watch for this game, as he is second on the team in points per game, tied for third in rebounds, and leads the team in assists. Last game, Mingo had 24 points in a losing effort against Oregon.
As a team, Penn State is averaging 75.4 points per game, 29.8 rebounds per game, and 12.6 assists per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field, 75.2 percent from the line, and 32.6 percent from three. In comparison, Rutgers is averaging 70 points per game, 34.5 rebounds per game, and 11.1 assists per game while shooting 41 percent from the field, 72.7 percent from the line, and 32 percent from three.
Rutgers will need to find consistency in their offense to give themselves a good chance to win this game. The Knights offense struggled mightily in the first half against Maryland, giving up several opportunities to pull away early on and keeping the Terrapins in the game. On top of that, Penn State struggles on defense, letting up 94 or more points against below average teams like Northwestern, Indiana and Maryland, making it clear that effective offense is the best way to pull off a win.
