If the Rutgers Scarlet Knights would like to be a legitimate NCAA Tournament candidate a victory over the No. 10-ranked Georgetown Hoyas Saturday would pad their postseason resume. The Scarlet Knights (11-8, 3-3) visit the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. for a Big East Conference men's basketball contest (noon on SNY) that pits two surprising programs against each other.
On Monday, Rutgers used a balance attack to defeat the visiting Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 65-58, at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, NJ. Five Scarlet Knights, led by freshman guard Elie Carter, who tallied 13 points, scored nine or more points to help Rutgers earn its third victory in four games.
Currently, Carter paces the Scarlet Knights in scoring averaging 13.4 points per game, while Big East Sixth Man of the Year candidate, freshman guard Myles Mack, is netting 10.2 ppg. Junior guard Dane Miller is the team's leading rebounder (6.2 per game), while sophomore forward Gilvydas Biruta is tallying 9.2 ppg and 5.4 rpg.
Already this season, the surprise Scarlet Knights have already defeated two top 10 programs this season -- No. 10 Florida Gators, Dec. 29, and No. 8 Connecticut Huskies, Jan. 7. However, both those victories came at the RAC, as Rutgers is 1-3 on the road this season.
Meanwhile, Georgetown (15-3, 5-2) has also been a surprise team, as it was predicted to finish 10th in the Big East preseason media polls but has crept into the top 10 of the college hoops rankings.
The Hoyas are coming off a Tuesday victory over the DePaul Blue Demons, 83-75. Georgetown was sparked by senior guard Jason Clark's collegiate-best 31 points and snapped a two-game losing streak in the process.
Statistically, Clark is the Hoyas leading scorer averaging 16.2 ppg, while junior forward Hollis Thompson is netting 14.6 ppg and collecting 5.4 rpg.
For more on the Scarlet Knights, check out the SB Nation blog On The Banks. For more on the Hoyas, head over to Casual Hoya. Stay tuned to our updated StoryStream for more on tonight's game and beyond.