Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball: Matt Painter climbs wins ladder, Rutgers sets records

By Daniel Benjamin

Nov 16, 2021; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Jaden Ivey (23) talks with head coach Matt Painter (right) during the second half against the Wright State Raiders at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 16, 2021; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Jaden Ivey (23) talks with head coach Matt Painter (right) during the second half against the Wright State Raiders at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports /
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Rutgers cruises past Nebraska

Rutgers set a few school Big Ten records in their 93-65 home victory over Nebraska on Saturday, including most points scored and highest field goal percentage (58.3%). The Scarlet Knights also set the school mark for most assists in a Big Ten contest with 23. With the victory, Rutgers ran their win streak to a season-high four straight and improved to 9-5 overall along with 3-1 in league play. The Scarlet Knights turned 14 Cornhuskers turnovers into 25 points.

"“My team is playing good basketball right now,” RU head coach Steve Pikiell said. “I have a ton of respect for Nebraska, that’s a good team. We rebounded well today and shared the game. We continue to really pass the basketball. The team did a great job. Everyone that checked into the game gave us good minutes. It was a big game for us today.”"

Ron Harper Jr. led five Scarlett Knights in double-figures with 29 points, which was one point shy of the season-and career-high that he put up in Rutgers upset of Purdue on December 9. Harper knocked down 8 of 13 shots from the field, 3 of 6 from beyond the arc, and all 10 free throws. Meanwhile, Bryce McCowens led the way for the Cornhuskers (6-10, 0-5).

Rutgers Tidbits

  • Rutgers is 9-1 at home this year, with their lone loss being a bad one to Lafayette (53-51). The Scarlett Knights are  46-7 at home over the past three seasons
  • Rutgers is 1-2 in Quad I games and 3-2 in Quad I and II contests this year.
  • Rutgers is 3-1 in Big Ten play for a third straight season.
  • Harper has improved more this year than any other of his previous three seasons. He has significantly improved his 3-point shooting, getting to the free-throw line and rebounding this year. Harper has scored 20 or more points on six occasions (19 times career) in 2021-22 and averages 16.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists while shooting 44.6% from the field and 43.7% from beyond the arc.
  • With his performance against Nebraska, Harper has scored at least 25 points against a Big Ten opponent seven times, the most in school history.
  •   Geo Baker had six dimes against the Cornhuskers and moved into third place on the school’s all-time assist list with 432. Baker has done a fabulous job as a floor general this year and is producing a career-best 4.4 assists as well as a personal-best assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.58-to-1.
  • Six-foot-6 junior guard Paul Mulcahy has improved dramatically as a distributor this year. Mulcahy tied a career-high with eight assists on Saturday and leads the Scarlett Knights with 4.9 helpers a game. He averaged 2.9 dimes last season.
  • Six-foot-10 forward Dean Reiber set career-highs against Nebraska in minutes (17) and points (10) while tying his career-high with four boards.
  •  LSU Transfer Aundre Hyatt produced a season-high 13 points on Saturday, which also tied his career-high. Hyatt, the team’s sixth man, averages 6.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in nearly 17 minutes.
  • Caleb McConnell, a possible Big Ten DPOY Candidate, leads the conference with 30 steals and steals percentage. He ranks ninth in defensive win shares and 11th in defensive rating.
  • Cliff Omuryui has made significant strides in year two. The 6-11 sophomore center has produced two double-doubles while recording double-figures in rebounds (3 times) and scoring (11). He averages 11.6 points and 7.2 boards on the season.
  • Head coach Steve Pikiell awarded Five-foot-10 sophomore point guard Aiden Terry a scholarship on Friday. Terry has appeared in three career games –two this year — for a total of four minutes.
  • Rutgers plays five of its next seven games on the road, starting on Tuesday at Penn State.
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