Indiana @ Rutgers preview

Indiana at Rutgers

Last Meeting ( Mar 10, 2019 ) Rutgers 73, Indiana 89

Indiana looks to extend its winning streak to three games when it visits Rutgers in Big Ten play on Wednesday. The Hoosiers have bounced back from a pair of defeats to Arkansas and No. 17 Maryland with wins over Northwestern (66-62) and 19th-ranked Ohio State on Saturday to move onto the cusp of entering the Top 25, and they hope to continue trending upwards by posting their first road win of the season.

“This league becomes such a slugfest and we got a jolt of energy so now we need to find a way to win at Rutgers,” Indiana coach Archie Miller told reporters. “We have a chance if we’re at our best to be a really good team.” Rutgers suffered its first loss since Dec. 8 after dropping a 54-51 decision to Illinois on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights held the Fighting Illini to 28.6 percent shooting, but scored five points in the final five minutes to come up short in Champaign, and they hope to stay on track for their first winning season since 2005-06 by improving to 12-0 at home. “There weren’t a lot of opportunities to get up and down the court,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell told reporters. “We have to play better on the road to win in this league.”

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network

ABOUT INDIANA (13-3, 3-2 Big Ten): Devonte Green came off the bench to score a team-high 19 points to go along with five rebounds to help the Hoosiers earn their third win over a ranked opponent this season. Rob Phinisee went 3-of-4 from 3-point land en route to 13 points, seven rebounds and four steals in his first start of the season while Joey Brunk finished with seven points and five boards against the Buckeyes. Trayce Jackson-Davis, who leads Indiana in points per game (14.6) and rebounding (eight) was held to six points and three boards.

ABOUT RUTGERS (12-4, 3-2): Jacob Young matched a program record for the most 3-pointers in a Big Ten game as he knocked down four triples en route to a team-leading 16 points in the loss to Illinois. “He’s grown in leaps and bounds and he’s done a great job getting to the rim,” Pikiell told reporters. “I really like the progress he has made and he’s practicing better every day too.” Ron Harper Jr. added nine points and five rebounds while Geo Baker, who is averaging 11.4 points per game, is likely to miss his fourth straight contest with a thumb injury.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Indiana has won seven of its last nine Big Ten games dating back to last season.

2. Rutgers F Myles Johnson is ranked third nationally in field goal percentage (71.6).

3. The Hoosiers are fifth in the country in free throw attempts (437).

PREDICTION: Rutgers 71, Indiana 67