Rutgers @ Indiana preview

Rutgers at Indiana

Last Meeting ( Jan 30, 2019 ) Indiana 58, Rutgers 66

Indiana, which dropped 12 of 13 games from Jan. 6 to Feb. 22 to leave its tournament dreams on life support, look to continue making its case for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid when it hosts Rutgers on Sunday. The Hoosiers have won three consecutive games, including victories over No. 21 Wisconsin (75-73) and 11th-ranked Michigan State (63-62), to give themselves a glimmer of hope, and aim to stay in the mix for a spot in March Madness by avenging a 66-58 loss to the Scarlet Knights earlier in the season.

"I feel that we are hitting our stride at the right time," Indiana forward Juwan Morgan told reporters. "We have something big ahead of us as a team and that's what we're trying to accomplish." Rutgers saw its mini two-game winning streak come to an end following a 66-65 loss to Penn State on Wednesday. Despite the loss to the Nittany Lions, the Scarlet Knights can consider this season a major success as they have notched more conference victories in 2018-19 than in the last two years combined and can take another step in their progression by knocking off the Hoosiers for the third consecutive time while clinching a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament. "Seeing the growth of this team has been very exciting," Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell told reporters. "We've gotten better and better as the season has gone on."

TV: Noon ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT RUTGERS (14-15, 7-12 Big Ten): Eugene Omoruyi racked up a team-high 23 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots in the loss to Penn State. Ron Harper Jr., who is the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week, scored 14 points while Myles Johnson added 10 points and 11 rebounds against the Nittany Lions to register his third double-double of the season. Junior forward Issa Thiam, who is averaging 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds, has been suspended indefinitely after he was arrested on seven charges, including making terroristic threats, stemming from an incident on Friday.

ABOUT INDIANA (16-14, 7-12): Juwan Morgan, who will be honored on Senior Day, led the way with 20 points to go along with nine rebounds in the 92-74 road win against Illinois on Thursday to move into 30th place on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,273 points. Rob Phinisee had one of his best all-around games of the season as the freshman guard recorded a career-high 17 points and dished out five assists without any turnovers against the Illini. Romeo Langford added 10 points, six rebounds and three assists as he gears up for what likely will be his last home game as a Hoosier; the freshman phenom is expected to be a lottery pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

TIP-INS

1. Langford leads all freshman in Big Ten scoring at 16.6 points per game.

2. Rutgers tops the conference in offensive rebounds (12.8).

3. Four of Indiana's last five games have been decided by six points or less.

PREDICTION: Indiana 73, Rutgers 67