The “Bury The Gophers At The Garden” Game Thread: Rutgers vs. Minnesota

How To Watch & Listen

#14 Rutgers (13-18; 3-15) vs. #11 Minnesota (15-16; 4-14)

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York City

Tip-off: Wednesday, February 28th at approximately 8:00 p.m. ET

TV: BTN - Kevin Kugler, Stephen Bardo and Mike Hall

Stream: BTN2GO

Radio: WCTC 1450 AM, WOR 710 AM, Sirius/XM 81 - Jerry Recco & Joe Boylan; WRSU 88.7 FM

KenPom Rankings: Rutgers #161; Minnesota #109

(Note: Rutgers regressed 13 spots since the 15 point loss to Illinois)

KenPom Prediction: Minnesota 69 Rutgers 66; Rutgers given a 39% chance to win

Vegas Line: Opened Minnesota -2.5. At 4:30 p.m. of gameday Rutgers is -1.

Series History: Minnesota leads the all-time series 7-1, including a 89-67 win in the Big Ten opener this season. The two schools also met in the 2015 Big Ten Tournament and the Gophers won 80-68.

SB Nation Illinois site: The Daily Gopher

Here we go. The Rutgers men’s basketball team is playing 40 minutes to get another 40 tomorrow, which head coach Steve Pikiell said after Sunday’s loss to Illinois was their slogan entering the Big Ten Tournament. Tonight is an opportunity for this team to produce a positive result on the big stage with the entire conference watching. The regular season ended in disappointment, but a victory at the Garden, and winning as the 14 seed in consecutive years, would bring some joy to Rutgers fans everywhere. It would also be an important win to help with recruiting efforts this offseason.

Nate Mason is banged up for Minnesota, which is something to watch for. Candido Sa is questionable as well, as he missed Sunday’s game with a shoulder issue. Geo Baker is back for a second straight game after losing 11 pounds due to the flu last week. Otherwise, it seems Rutgers is ready to go. They have the ability to outplay Minnesota on the defensive end and on the boards, which are major keys to winning the game. Hopefully there will be a solid turnout of the Scarlet faithful making the Garden a fun environment tonight.

Join us in the comment section and follow us on twitter for live commentary during the game. Our Aaron Breitman and Brian Fonseca will be on press row for the action as well and we’ll have full coverage after the game.

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