After climbing back into the top 25 after spiraling out earlier in the month, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will look to avenge a loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday.
A top-25 showdown between two Big Ten squads that have endured plummets from grace will take place on Wednesday night – in a rematch of one of the best college basketball games of the season between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Iowa Hawkeyes.
Ranked 11th at one point this season, the Scarlet Knights spiraled out of the top 25 courtesy of a five-game losing streak that was capped off by an abysmal loss at Penn State – but have rebounded convincingly since then, rallying off four-straight wins to go 11-6 overall, claim a winning record in Big Ten play, and find themselves at 25th in the most recent AP Poll – their first ranking in a month.
The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, have endured the most recent decline of the two squads. After starting the season 12-2, Iowa has slipped since their 96-73 romp of Northwestern on January 17th, dropping four of their past five games – the lone win coming in a nail-biter against Michigan State – while their losses comprised of Illinois, Ohio State, and a sweep from Indiana.
After reaching as high as third in the national polls, the Hawkeyes have dropped to 15th in the most recent rankings after their 67-65 loss at Indiana on Sunday. Despite four double-digit scorers in Joe Wieskamp (18), Luka Garza (18), Jordan Bohannon (11), and Keegan Murray (10), as well as a 38.1% clip from beyond the arc, the Hoosiers locked down Iowa inside, holding the Hawkeyes to 36.7% (2PTers) while outrebounding them, 44-36.
Rutgers’ four-game winning streak, meanwhile, has consisted of single-digit victories over Indiana, Northwestern, and Minnesota – as well as a 30-point romp over Michigan State. The Scarlet Knights’ most recent outing – a 76-72 win over Minnesota – saw three players reach double-digits in star guard Geo Baker (16 points), as well as Caleb McConnell and Myles Johnson – both of whom tallied 14 points apiece.
Iowa and Rutgers met earlier this season on January 2nd, in what would be the first game in Rutgers’ five-game losing streak. One of the best games of the regular season, the Hawkeyes escaped the RAC with a rare win, coming out on top, 77-75, behind a game-high 25 points from Garza. All five starters for Rutgers recorded double-figures, with Jacob Young leading the way with 17 points.
The Hawkeyes are mightily struggling, while the Scarlet Knights are playing their best basketball since December. That is not to say this is an easy win for Rutgers – the Hawkeyes do feature the consensus National Player of the Year in Garza, after all – but this is Rutgers’ best opportunity to pick up a signature win since taking down Illinois in December. To do so, however, they will have to follow through on a few keys.