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The Louisville Cardinals, who--only a few weeks ago--were number 1 in the nation, come to the RAC. Meanwhile, only a few weeks ago, the Scarlet Knights were 3-2 in the Big East and looking like a team that was on the rise. Both have seen recent struggles: The Cardinals lost 3 in a row before beating Pittsburgh in a close battle and then annihilating Marquette. Rutgers has had off for a week.
Rutgers needs this badly. Rutgers needs any win badly.
Keys:
1. Limit Turnovers: The Cardinals thrives on turnovers. They press and then fall back into a zone, get into passing lanes, and get the other team to make mistakes. Meanwhile, Rutgers has been terrible at holding on to the ball. It's probably the reason they've lost 4 straight. Rutgers needs to take care of the ball and treat each possession as if it's the one that can win the game.
2. Get All Three Guards Going: There have been hints of this lately. Jerome Seagears has been on fire the past two games, and needs to be defended. Myles Mack has been solid all season. And, when Eli Carter is on, Rutgers fans know what he can do. But tomorrow, all 3 of them need to have huge games.
3. Good Dane: Mike Rice made an adjustment in the last game against Cincinnati and used Dane Miller as a point forward. It appeared to work, because--while he still didn't score a ton--Miller was more noticeable throughout. Dane needs to keep up the good play, and even up it a notch. He is needed tomorrow. A patented slam dunk that blows the roof off the RAC at the end of a run would be a nice touch.
4. Hope Louisville is Napping: Rutgers has talent, and they can beat good teams (see: Pittsburgh this year, Florida and UConn last year), but this is a bad match-up for Rutgers. If the Cardinals are looking forward to Saturday night's game with Notre Dame, that'd help.
5. Get Loud: There hasn't been a vintage RAC game in years. There hasn't been a loud RAC game since last year. The students are back. The game time is manageable for the old fogies. Time to get loud and bring back some nostalgia.
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In other news, check out this great article from Jerry Carino with pictures of the plan for renovating the RAC.