Wednesday is going to be a exciting evening as our new football recruits will make it official on National Signing day. The 11th ranked Louisville basketball team (18-4, 6-3 Big East) will also be in action in New Jersey at the RAC to face Rutgers (12-8, 3-6 Big East).

Last season Coach Mike Rice’s team had seven freshmen and only one senior on the roster. The calendar has turned and freshmen are now sophomores. Rutgers has taken a step forward this season but it hasn’t been a great leap. There has been some progress thanks to the team’s maturation and the arrivals of a pair of transfers who brought experience and toughness. The Scarlet Knights have good guards and can score. Rutgers is 9th in the Big East in Field goal percentage at 41.2% per game, 5th in 3 point percentage at 34.5% per game, and 4th in free-throw percentage at 73.7% per game. They also rank 8th in the Big East in 3 point shots made at 5.6 per game. Their biggest problem is sharing and taking better care of the ball. Their assist/turnover ratio in the Big East is ranked 14th. They are only averaging 11.7 assist per game to 14.8 turnovers with a ratio of 0.8. They also struggle at times on defense and working on the glass to seal defensive possessions. They are ranked 9th in the Big East in rebounding margin at +0.2, 13th in the in turnover margin at -3.11, and 11th in steals at 6.1 per game. They have too many possession battles, giving up too many turnovers and second shots.
They are ranked nationally 163rd in points per game at 67.9, 163rd in rebounds per game at 35.3, 161st in assist per game at 13 and 87th in field goal percentage per game at 45.1%. Kenpom has their adj efficiency on offense at 104.2 ranked 102, and their adj efficiency on defense at 97.2 ranked 122. He has them ranked 103 overall. Their current RPI is 64 and they are in 11th place in the Big East.

In-conference offense: 3pt-34.5%, 2pt-41.2%, FT-73.7%
In-conference defense: Turnovers-11.7pg, Steals-6.1pg, Blocks-2.8pg

Coach Mike Rice: “Our first year here, we had just seven scholarship players and no inside presence,””Then last year, we had all those babies. Now, we’ve got to score in the paint. We have to get to the foul line and learn to make plays in the last four minutes of games. We’re built to do that now.”

The Scarlet Knight Players:

-Projected Starters

Wally Judge JR (7.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.1 apg) 6-9 F is a Kansas State transfer who brings needed experience, leadership and size to the equation. He ranks 8th in field goal percentage at 51.9%. He is somewhat of a liability from the free throw line shooting 44.2%.

Kadeem Jack SOPH (5.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.2 apg) 6-9 F redshirt Sophmore has struggled at Rutgers and learning how to work while getting banged around and being strong when going after the ball hasn’t come easy to Jack. He is shooting 46.6% from the field, and 64.9% from the free throw line.

Dane Miller SR (7.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.0 blkpg) 6-6 G/F When he plays to his strengths, he can be one of the best rebounding wings in the Big East. But he struggles with being consistent. He shoots 48.7% from the field, 17.6% from the free throw line and 67.4% from the free throw line.

Mike Poole JR (4.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.1 apg) 6-5 G he has an all-around offensive game and is the leader if this Rutgers team. He is shooting 36.7% from the field, 32% from the 3 point line and 61.1% from the free throw line.

Jerome Seagears SOPH (5.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.4 apg) 6-1 G He leads the team in assist but he’s not a true point man. The Knights don’t really have one of those, so they allow their guards to do a little of everything. While Seagears can shoot with range and pass, he struggles to make the right decisions at times. He shoots 34.9% from the field, 37.5% from the 3 point line and 70% from the free throw line.

-Bench

Austin Johnson SR (5.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.6 apg) 6-8 F is a solid contributor who lost his part-time starter role to Judge and is used as a reliable backup, albeit one who probably needs to be more aggressive on the boards. He shoots 55.4% from the field and 58.1% from the free throw line.

Eli Carter SOPH (15.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.3 apg) 6-2 G He is one of of Rutgers top returning scorers. He has the ability to score inside and out, distribute and play some sticky D. He is shooting 38.2% from the field, 29.2% from the 3 point line and 90.2% from the free throw line.

Malick Kone SOPH (2.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.2 apg) 6-5 F He plays limited minutes but when in the game he is Rutgers most consistent perimeter shooter. He is shooting 48.8% from the field, and 66.7% from the free throw line.

Myles Mack SOPH (12.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.5 apg) 5-9 G is one of those guys that comes off the bench and gives his team some major offensive output. He shoots 50.9% from the field, 46.1% from the 3 point line and is excellent from the free throw line at 93.8%.

Derrick Randall SOPH (1.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.0 apg) 6-8 F/C Rice call him the most improved player on his roster. When in the game he is a decent scorer and good rebounder. He shoots 46.7% from the field and 83.3% from the free throw line.

The game will be played Wednesday at the RAC. The RAC is renowned for being one of the loudest arenas in college basketball when at maximum capacity. The trapezoidal design of the building allows the crowd noise to resonate, creating a deafening environment. The RAC has even been described as being “louder than a 747 at Newark Airport.” ESPN’s Jay Bilas has lauded the RAC, saying, “The Scarlet Knights play great there, and the crowd is right on top of you and intimidating.” – (wikipedia)

With that being said it is the only advantage that Rutgers will have on Wednesday night against our Cardinals. The Scarlet Knights are moving in the right direction, but they remain young and lack the experience to make any kind of real run. We have the better team in all facets of the game. After the Cards 3 game stumble they seem to be back on the right track. I look for big games from our back-court of Siva and Smith as their experience and leadership will take over this game from the less experienced and younger back-court of the Scarlet Knights. We will also hold a distinguished advantage over their front-court. Dieng, and Behanan especially as they are much more physical than any of the Scarlet Knight players. This one should be an easy victory for the Cards and they should win this one going away.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 75 Rutgers 57