Men’s Basketball Hosts Maine on Monday Night

Basio badr

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Men’s Basketball Hosts Maine on Monday Night

Rutgers University (RU) is set to face the University of Maine in men’s basketball on Monday night. The game will take place at Jersey Mike’s Arena, beginning at 6:30 PM. Fans can watch the action on Big Ten Network.

Recent Performance of Rutgers

RU kicked off the season with a commanding 28-point victory over Rider. This win marked the largest margin of victory for the Scarlet Knights since December 2023, when they defeated St. Peters by 31 points. Following a brief challenge from Rider, where they narrowed the score to 22-20, Rutgers dominated the second half, outscoring Rider 59-33.

Tariq Francis (Junior guard, NJIT transfer) – 20 points, 4 three-pointers
Jamichael Davis (Junior guard) – 15 points, 4 assists, 3 steals
Dylan Grant (Sophomore forward) – 17 points, 7 rebounds
Darren Buchanan Jr. (Junior guard, George Washington transfer) – 11 points off the bench

In this game, RU also demonstrated a strong defensive performance, limiting Rider to just 27.7% shooting overall and 10% from the three-point line. This performance matched the lowest number of three-pointers allowed by RU last season.

Maine’s Challenges This Season

The Maine Black Bears opened their season with a loss to George Washington (67-47). They faced a quick turnaround after losing 71-60 to Stony Brook on Saturday. Maine struggled offensively, shooting only 31.4% in their opener.

Ace Flagg – Freshman, 10 points against George Washington
Ryan Mabrey – Starter, 14 points against Stony Brook
TJ Biel – 9 points, 7 rebounds against Stony Brook

Maine was projected to perform well this season, ranking second in the America East Preseason Poll. However, the team lost their top five scorers from the previous year, which has hindered their early performance. Head coach Chris Markwood emphasizes defensive play, evident from last season when they allowed just 66.1 points per game, ranking 33rd in NCAA.

Historical Context

Historically, the Scarlet Knights have been successful against Maine, winning all five of their matchups. The last three meetings occurred in 2018 and 2021, with RU winning decisively each time.