PISCATAWAY, NJ — Trayce Jackson-Davis is climbing Indiana’s all-time scoring and rebound charts, but his senior year is more about winning games than personal accolades.
Jackson-Davis propelled the Hoosiers to victories over resume-building Xavier and North Carolina, and next on the list is Rutgers, a team Jackson-Davis hasn’t beaten in Indiana for more than three years. After the Hoosiers defeated North Carolina in front of a wild Assembly Hall crowd, Jackson-Davis was asked what this Indiana team was capable of.
“What we can do is play our next game, which is at Rutgers. I haven’t beaten Rutgers since I’ve been here. The RAC has always been a very hostile environment. They had our number there.”
“That’s the biggest test. That’s what I said to our guys this week, I said UNC is going to be a great team and a great game. Obviously I liked our chances with that crowd. But the real test is what we’re going to be involved in this game on Saturday because they are a good team and are very well trained.”
- *** LIVE BLOG: And once the game starts, you can follow all the action on our live blog from HoosiersNow.com editor Tom Brew. To read this story CLICK HERE.
How to watch Indiana Hoosiers vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
- Who: #10 Indiana Hoosiers (7-0) vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-2)
- What: Big Ten opening
- When: 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 3rd
- Where: Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, NJ
- TV: Big Ten Network
- Announcer: Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel (analyst), Andy Katz (sideline)
- Live broadcast: fuboTV (start free trial)
- Radio: IU Radio Network (Bloomington: 105.1 WHCC-FM, Indianapolis: 107.5 WFNI-FM)
- radio announcer: Don Fischer (play-by-play), Errek Suhr (color), John Herrick (prelude, halftime, postlude)
- Point distribution: Will be updated when available
- Associated Press poll: Indiana is #10 in the AP poll, entering the top 10 for the first time since December 12, 2016. Rutgers is not ranked.
- KenPom Rankings: Indiana is No. 8 on the KenPom rankings after Wednesday’s 77-65 win over No. 18 North Carolina. The Hoosiers are #11 in adjusted defensive efficiency and #11 in adjusted offensive efficiency. Rutgers is ranked 40th overall, 12th in adjusted defense efficiency, and 108th in adjusted offensive efficiency.
- Season projections: As of Friday, Indiana is the betting favorite with Purdue to win the Big Ten regular season title at plus-300 odds. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Indiana is plus-500 to make the Final Four and plus-2000 to win the National Championship.
- Notable games: Indiana passed its first two Tests outside of the conference, beginning with an 81-79 win at Xavier, who was voted second in the Big East coach poll. Behind a raucous white crowd at Assembly Hall on Wednesday, the Hoosiers overcame No. 18 North Carolina to remain undefeated in a 77-65 win. Rutgers is 5-0 at home with a handful of easy wins over mid-sized opponents, but the Scarlet Knights lost 72-66 to Temple on neutral ground and 68-61 in Miami (FL) in Wednesday’s ACC/Big Ten. Challenge.
- Last season’s records: Indiana went 21-14 overall, 9-11 in Big Ten game, 14-4 at home, 3-8 on the road and 4-2 at neutral venues in 2021-22. The Hoosiers reached the NCAA tournament last year for the first time since 2016, beating Wyoming in the First Four and losing in the Round of 64 to Saint Mary’s -2 at home, 8-3 on the road and 6-5 at neutral locations in the years 2021-22. Rutgers went 18-14 overall, 12-8 in the Big Ten Play, 14-3 at home, 4-9 on the road and 0-2 at neutral places in 2021-22. Rutgers played in the first four of the NCAA tournament in Dayton, Ohio, losing 89-87 to Notre Dame in double overtime.
- Series history: The all-time series between Indiana and Rutgers is 7-7. Indiana has lost five straight games to Rutgers, which is the Hoosiers’ longest active losing streak against a Big Ten opponent. Indiana’s last win against Rutgers was a 65-43 win on February 5, 2018 under coach Archie Miller. Juwan Morgan scored 24 points, Robert Johnson added 19, and the Hoosiers’ defense kept Rutgers at 24.1 shooting percent. The most recent matchup between Indiana and Rutgers will be remembered by Ron Harper Jr.’s game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds remaining at Assembly Hall on March 2, 2022. The last time Indiana opened its Big Ten schedule with a trip to Rutgers was on Dec. 30, 2015. The Hoosiers clinched a 79-72 win behind 20 points from Yogi Ferrell and 18 points and 14 rebounds from Max Bielfeldt, and Indiana won the Big Ten championship in 2016 under coach Tom Crean.
Leading scorers
- Indiana Hoosiers
- F Trayce Jackson-Davis: 19.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 71.2 FG pct
- PG Xavier Johnson: 12.3 ppg, 4.7 apg, 4.4 rpg, 53.3 3pt FG pct
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights
- F Clifford Omoruyi: 16.7ppg, 9.9rpg, 1.7bpg
- G Cam Spencer: 15.3 ppg, 3.9 apg, 3.6 rpg, 3.4 spg, 43.2 3pt FG pct
- F Aundre Hyatt: 11.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 34.3 FG pct
- G Caleb McConnell: 10.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.5 apg (Reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year has only played two games this year)
Get to know the trainers
- Steve Pikiell, Rutgers: Hubert Davis is in his second year as head coach of North Carolina, where he played from 1988-1992 and averaged 21.4 points as a senior. Davis was the 20th overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks and played for six teams through 2004. After his playing career, Davis worked as a collegiate basketball analyst for ESPN before joining Roy Williams in North Carolina in 2012 as an assistant coach. Davis helped North Carolina win its sixth national championship with a 71-65 win over Gonzaga in 2017. Williams retired after the 2020–21 season, and Davis led the Tar Heels to a National Championship game appearance in his first season as head coach.
- Mike Woodson, Indiana: Woodson has NBA head coaching experience with the Atlanta Hawks from 2004 to 2010 and the New York Knicks from 2012 to 2014. Since 1996, Woodson has also been an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Los Angeles clippers Woodson played at Indiana University from 1976 to 1980 and was named the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player as a senior under coach Bob Knight. He was the 12th overall pick in the 1980 NBA Draft and played for various teams from 1980 to 1991, averaging 14 points in 786 games. In his second season in Indiana, Woodson holds a 28-14 record.
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Indiana Hoosiers forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (23) reacts to a basket during the first half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Three things to keep in mind about Indiana vs. Rutgers
1. One step up, defensively
Defensive intensity is a calling card of any Rutgers team coached by Steve Pikiell, and that has continued in 2022-23 despite the loss of Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr. The Scarlet Knights allow 55.0 points per game, the lowest of any Big Ten team.
Opponents are shooting 36.2 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from 3, a Big Ten low. Rutgers leads the conference in terms of sales margin (6.29) thanks to a whopping 130 forced sales, which ranks second in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights rank 12th nationally in KenPom’s Adjusted Defense Efficiency, one spot behind Indiana and three behind Illinois.
Perhaps most impressive about those numbers is that Rutgers was without reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Caleb McConnell in five of its first seven games. McConnell returned from a knee injury against Central Connecticut State on Nov. 26 and scored 16 points Wednesday in Miami (FL).
2. Low post fight
The Scarlet Knights’ stingy defense is anchored by 6-foot-11 junior Clifford Omoruyi, who averages 16.7 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Omoruyi proved a tough matchup for Trayce Jackson-Davis and the Hoosiers last year, scoring 13 points with 12 rebounds and four blocks in Rutgers’ win at Assembly Hall on March 2.
Omoruyi has upped his game this season, scoring three double-doubles with at least 20 points. He’s also third in the Big Ten for blocked shots and rebounds. While Omoruyi might fly under the radar compared to other big men of the conference like Zach Edey or Hunter Dickinson, he’ll give Indiana a tough time in the paint on Saturday.
Luckily for the Hoosiers, Jackson-Davis looked like a contender for international of the year in seven games and led to quite a low-flying battle on Saturday. Jackson-Davis had 21 points and 10 rebounds against North Carolina’s Armando Bacot on Wednesday, and he’s hungry for his first career win against Rutgers.
3. The immediate impact of Cam Spencer
Coach Steve Pikiell looked to the transfer portal for almost 30 points a game with Geo Baker switching to Ron Harper Jr. He found Cam Spencer, a 6-foot-4 sharpshooter who spent the first three years of college with the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds. Spencer is a 39.3 percent career 3-point shooter and averaged 18.3 points per game last season.
In his first seven games with Rutgers, Spencer is second on the team with 15.3 points per game. He scored at least 15 points in each of the first six games but shot 1:10 overall in Miami (FL) on Wednesday. Spencer also matches Pikiell’s defensive playstyle, leading the Big Ten with 24 steals.
- HOT START FROM HOOD-SCHIFINO: Indiana freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino scored the Hoosiers’ first seven points of Wednesday’s game as the Hoosiers defeated North Carolina 77-65 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. CLICK HERE
- GAME STORY: Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 21 points and guards Jalen Hood-Schifino and Xavier Johnson completed an emphatic 77-65 win over lastseason No. 1 North Carolina on Wednesday night, leading the Hoosiers to their seventh straight win. CLICK HERE
- CALEB LOVE FRUSTRATED AFTER LOSS: North Carolina scored 33.9 percent in its 77-65 loss in Indiana on Wednesday in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. For Caleb Love and coach Hubert Davis, there’s a lot of frustration and a lot to fix, but a lot of time to do it. CLICK HERE
- WHAT WOODSON SAID: Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson thought the Hoosiers’ 77-65 win over North Carolina on Wednesday was a total team effort. Here is the full transcript of his post-match press conference with attached video. CLICK HERE
- WHAT JACKSON-DAVIS, HOOD-SCHIFINO SAID: Trayce Jackson-Davis led Indiana with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino scored the Hoosiers’ first seven points of the game. Following Indiana’s 77-65 win over North Carolina, here is the full Jackson-Davis and Hood-Schifino press conference transcript with attached video. CLICK HERE
- PHOTO GALLERY: Indiana faced North Carolina in Wednesday night’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge, winning 77-65 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Here’s a collection of some of the best photos from the game. CLICK HERE
