Rutgers (3-3) takes on the UMBC Retrievers (0-5) tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Rutgers Athletic Center. The game will be broadcast on ScarletKnights.com on RVision.
The Scarlet Knights enter the game having lost their last two games (76-70 to Illinois State; 58-53 to Richmond), both in the Cancun Challenge tournament in Mexico. Rutgers Sophomore forward Gilvydas Biruta was named to the all-tournament team for scoring 12.5 points per game and pulling down 5.5 rebounds per game in two games. Rutgers is 3-0 at home during the 2011 college basketball season.
Rutgers is 3-0 all-time against UMBC and 25-7 all-time against current America East conference members. The last meeting 2001, was a 67-51 for the Scarlet Knights at the RAC. UMBC is 0-1 against the Big East this season.
Biruta leads Rutgers in scoring and rebounding this season with 12 points and 7.2 boards per contest and has scored in double figures in four straight. UMBC enters the game without its best player in point guard Chris De La Rosa, who left the team for personal reasons.
Here are Rutgers' probable starters for the game:
F Gilvydas Biruta
F/C Austin Johnson
G/F Dane Miller
Here are the probable starters for the Retrievers:
F/G Chandler Thomas
G #21 Jamar Wertz
For more on Rutgers basketball see our team page or On The Banks. For more on the America East conference see Unranked America East. For more on Big East basketball, see Big East Coast Bias.