Preview: No. 4 Iowa WBB at Rutgers
WHO: Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-10 overall, 0-3 Big Ten)
WHEN: 5:00 PM CT (Friday, January 5)
WHERE: Carver Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa)
TV: Big Ten Network
RADIO: Hawkeye Radio Network
ONLINE: https://www.foxsports.com/live
MOBILE: https://www.foxsports.com/live
FOLLOW: @IowaAwesome | @IowaWBB | @IowaonBTN
In 2021, Rutgers made the NCAA Tournament as a 6-seed. It's been all down hill for the Scarlet Knights since then.
In 2021-22, Rutgers finished 11-20 overall and 3-14 in the Big Ten. The rough season was understandable as head coach C. Vivian Stringer was forced to take a leave of absence from the team, and her staff had to pick up the pieces on the fly.
Stringer eventually retired, but her situation and the uncertainty led to delays. Conquese Washington wasn't announced as the next head coach until nearly three months after Rutgers' last game in 2022.
Washington was behind from the start. Rutgers had just eight players on the roster for the 2022-23 season, and the results were as bad as you'd expect. Rutgers went 12-20 overall and 5-13 in the Big Ten.
This year was supposed to be a building year. Rutgers returned many of the top players from last year's team and expanded its roster. A push for a middle of the conference finish seemed possible.
Unfortunately, the results thus far haven't improved. The Scarlet Knights sit 6-10 overall, and their best win is a 5-point win over a Monmouth team ranked 164th in NET. The Knights have not won outside of Piscataway, and have lost five straight games. They've lost four games this season by 19 or more.
While that all sounds bad, Rutgers has been better in Big Ten play. In early December, they lost 66-56 against Indiana. In their last two games, they've lost 77-70 at Northwestern and 77-76 at Purdue. None of those results are great, but they are far more competitive than Rutgers has been for much of the year.
Stats for this preview are from HerHoopStats.
Top Players
This is where the Rutgers game takes another twist. Against Purdue on Tuesday, Rutgers was without its best player, Kaylene Smikle. Smikle is a 6'0" guard averaging 16.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, and 1.7 spg. She played just five minutes in the Northwestern game last Saturday.
Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said Wednesday that Smikle's status for the game is unknown. Rutgers was also without another starter--Antonia Bates--for the Northwestern game.
Despite missing Smikle and Bates, Rutgers had arguably the best result of its season against Purdue.
Rutgers' only other player averaging in double digits is 6'3" forward Destiny Adams. Adams is averaging 12.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg, and 1.9 spg. She has made 53% of her shots from 2-point range, but isn't a three-point threat.
Play Style
Rutgers averages 71.6 possessions per 40 minutes, which ranks near the middle nationally in pace.
Offensively, Rutgers averages 68.6 points per game, which ranks 120th. The Scarlet Knights don't shoot particularly well from two (46.6%, ranked 120th nationally) or three (32.7%, ranked 124th nationally). The Knights don't share the ball well, either, as their 12.5 assists per game rank 187th. They also turn it over too much, averaging 18.3 turnovers per game, good for 272nd. The only category that Rutgers ranks well in is offensive rebound rate. The Scarlet Knights has collected 38.7% of the offensive rebounds available to them, good for 27th nationally.
Defensively, Rutgers surrenders 66.3 points per game, which ranks 201st. Turnovers have been one of the big culprit for Rutgers' poor defense. Turnovers often lead to run-outs or transition baskets. Rutgers also fouls more than most teams; their average of 18.8 fouls per game ranks 276th. The Scarlet Knights sit mid pack in steals (7.9 per game) but rate well in blocks (4.9 per game, good for 27th nationally).
X-Factor
No big outliers. The Rutgers-Indiana game was close in part because Indiana shot just 3-of-16 (18.8%) from three. The Rutgers-Northwestern game was close in part because Rutgers scored 24 points off of 15 Northwestern turnovers. The Rutgers-Purdue game was close because Rutgers shot extremely well from three (5-of-11, or 45.5%) and at the free throw line (17 of 20, or 85%).
Iowa is a heavy favorite in this game, and will be a bigger one of Smikle doesn't play. So long as Iowa doesn't shoot extremely poorly or gift Rutgers too many easy baskets, the Hawks should win relatively comfortably.