There is a strong commonality between Rutgers and Indiana as the teams prepare to resume Big Ten Conference action against one another on Thursday in Bloomington, Ind.
Both fan bases can attest that NBA-level talent does not automatically translate to dominant basketball.
Indiana (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten) and Rutgers (8-5, 1-1) were ranked in the AP Top 25 preseason poll, but neither lasted very long as losses knocked them from the picture. They rank 13th and 17th in scoring margin, respectively, in the 18-team conference.
The Hoosiers beat mid-major opponents Chattanooga and Winthrop by just nine points each to close their nonconference schedule, following a blowout loss to Big Ten rival Nebraska. Indiana shot just 18.7 percent from 3-point range the past three games, including 1-for-20 against Winthrop.
“Every game is important moving forward,” Indiana coach Mike Woodson said. “Can’t look back. Every game is important. We’ve got Rutgers coming in. That’s my only focus right now.”
Former five-star recruits Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako pace Indiana with averages of 15.0 and 13.5 points per game, respectively.
Oumar Ballo is third at 12.4 ppg, and the center leads the Hoosiers with 9.2 rebounds per game, but Woodson didn’t play him Sunday against Winthrop and wouldn’t reveal why.
“I’m not going to address that. But didn’t have a lot of lead time. But that doesn’t matter,” Woodson said. “You know, guys that are in uniform have got to play, and he didn’t play (Sunday), and you know, we’ll sit down … and address his situation and get ready for Rutgers.”
The Scarlet Knights had an inconsistent nonconference run that included losses to Kennesaw State and Princeton, but they have won three of their past four games and believe they are righting the ship in time for Big Ten play.
They crushed Columbia 91-64 on Monday, when Dylan Harper had the program’s first triple-double since 1983 with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists.
Harper and fellow freshman Ace Bailey, two projected lottery picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, have carried Rutgers through its inconsistent season. Harper ranks fourth nationally at 22.8 points per game while adding 4.8 assists, and Bailey is at 18.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest.
Harper praised his team’s preparation.
“Seeing how locked in we’ve been recently,” Harper said, per Daly Dose of Hoops. “I think the attention to detail we all have, the film watching we all had, and just the biggest thing is sticking together and being a group. We’re going to compete against each other hard every day.”
–Field Level Media
