PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men’s basketball returns to Jersey Mikes Arena for the first time since January 13 as the Scarlet Knights will host Michigan at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be broadcast nationally on FOX with Kevin Kugler and the 5th selection in the 1992 NBA Draft, LaPhonso Ellis, on the call.
Rutgers returns to Jersey Mike’s Arena after four straight contests away from the venue. That stretch included three true road games (at Nebraska, at Penn State, at Northwestern) and a home game at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The Scarlet Knights enter the game at 11-10 overall and 4-6 in Big Ten play following a 79-72 victory at Northwestern behind a virtuoso performance from freshman Ace Bailey. The Scarlet Knights stand within a crowded pack in the league standings as one of eight teams between 4 and 6 wins.
RU has won three of the past five games. The team is looking for its first stretch of four wins in six games since opening the season with a 5-1 mark.
Rutgers shot 57.1 percent from the field against the Wildcats, the best shooting performance in a Big Ten game since 2023. The mark from three-point range was also 57.1 percent, which was the best in a Big Ten game since 2022. Ace Bailey keyed the offense, as he posted 37 points on 13-of-20 shooting, 5-of-8 from 3-point, 6-of-6 from the free throw line, six rebounds and three blocks.
Bailey became the first Division I freshman to log multiple 35-point games on the road since Trae Young in 2017-18. His 37-6-3 stat line has been reached just three times this season (twice by him) and just nine times by a freshman since 2007 and only previously by players ultimately selected No. 1 or No. 2 in the NBA Draft (Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley, Ben Simmons, Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Edwards). It was the most points by a visiting player at Welsh-Ryan Arena
Bailey’s January stretch in Big Ten play has been red hot, starting with a 39 point outburst against Indiana. Bailey has posted 194 points in eight January Big Ten games, averaging 24.3 points per game in that stretch. He also averages 9.2 rebounds per game in that eight-game stretch. In his last six games, Bailey has made 26-of-29 free throws (89.6%). In his last four games, Bailey has made 15-of-25 three-pointers (60%).
Bailey has the two highest scoring games in Big Ten play this season…
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