Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine men's basketball team closes its non-conference schedule when it travels to meet Rutgers on Thursday, Dec. 30 at 1 p.m. The Black Bears will be looking for their first victory over Rutgers in the fifth meeting between the two programs. Maine has four wins over Big Ten programs, with the latest a 74-64 victory at Penn State in 2010.
Thursday's game will be broadcast live on the
Big Ten Network. The game can also be heard worldwide on the
Black Bear Sports Network and locally in Maine on 92.9 F
M.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The Black Bears are looking to bounce back following a tough loss at the hands of the Merrimack Warriors, 49-47. The Black Bears are ranked 51st in steals forced per game, registering 8.5 steals per game. This ranks them second in America East. As a result of the high steal numbers, Maine also finds themselves 2nd in America East with a turnovers forced per game of 14.6 turnovers forced per game.
Vukasin Masic comes in as the player to watch out for on the Black Bears, currently leading the team in per game averages for points, rebounds and assists. He has dished out 22 assists in the month of December, while only turning the ball over 8 times (2.75:1). LeChaun Duhart has been lighting up the scoring column over the past month for the Black Bears, turning in 3 double-digit scoring efforts for a total of 37 points over his teams four contests in December.
A LOOK AT RUTGERS:
The Scarlet Knights are coming off of a loss against #23/25 Seton Hall back on Dec. 12. The Scarlet Knights defeated, then #1 ranked Purdue, back on Dec. 9. Caleb McConnell produced a double-double (13 pts, 12 reb) in the contest for his squad against Seton Hall. Clifford Omoruyi (13 pts, 6 reb), Ron Harper Jr. (10 pts, 3 stl) and Geo Baker (11 pts) all chipped in despite the losing effort. Harper Jr. currently leads his squad with 15.8 ppg and 7.9 reb per game. Clifford Omoruyi (11.6 ppg, 6.7 reb per game) and Geo Baker (11.2 ppg) are among the top performers for the Scarlet Knights on a nightly basis.
HISTORY AGAINST RUTGERS:
Maine and Rutgers will square off for the fifth time in history, and the first since 2018. Maine is 0-4 against the Scarlet Knights. The series began in 1924, a 58-29 victory by the Scarlet Knights at Rutgers. Maine is 0-3 all-time at Rutgers. In the latest meeting, Maine was defeated 70-55 at Rutgers in 2018. Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell established a 17-7 record against Maine during his tenure at Stony Brook. The Black Bears have played 16 games against current Big 10 institutions, earning four wins with victories over Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, and Penn State. Maine's last win over the Big 10 came on Dec. 21, 2010, a 74-64 victory at Penn State.
Tale of the Tape
| Maine (3-7, 0-0) |
Category |
Rutgers (5-5, 1-1) |
| 58.0 |
Points Per Game |
65.8 |
| 65.1 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
67.2 |
| -7.1 |
Scoring Margin |
-1.4 |
| 38.7 |
Field Goal Percentage |
40.5 |
| 24.1 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
28.9 |
| 71.7 |
Free Throw Percentage |
67.8 |
| 33.1 |
Rebounds Per Game |
37.5 |
| -2.4 |
Rebound Margin |
+0.7 |
| 12.8 |
Assists Per Game |
14.6 |
| 14.2 |
Turnovers Per Game |
11.4 |
| 14.6 |
Turnovers Forced Per Game |
12.0 |
| 8.5 |
Steals Per Game |
7.3 |
| 2.0 |
Blocks Per Game |
3.1 |
-UMaine-
