Yes, their star player may be out tonight, but when New Jersey's Big Ten team comes swaggering in to the Welsh, all bets are off. Rutgers is in fact down two starters from their opening day lineup, as big man Emmanuel Ogbole is out for the season. That being said, Rutgers still has 9 guys we should expect to see play tonight, and despite the fact that they've only won one road game this year, over Nebraska, tonight's game should be a tight one.
Starters
CG, #25 6'4" Jeremiah Williams. Last year Williams missed 20 games due to suspension related to some transfer nonsense, and then seamlessly blended into the starting lineup, which included a win over us where he has 15 points, albeit on 13 shots, 5 boards, 6 assists, 3 blocks and 1 steal. This year, he has been less involved due to stud Dylan Harper playing his spot. His numbers are down across the board to the point where he lost his starting spot for three games, until the injury to Harper brought him back into the lineup. He's always been a terrible 3-point shooter, but this year he's compounded it with terrible FT shooting along with getting into foul trouble quickly as well. His one bright spot seems to be midrange jumpers. Hopefully he continues his down season tonight against us.
CG, #5, 6'4" Tyson Acuff. A 5th-year transfer who spent time at both Duquesne and Eastern Michigan, Acuff has found his way into the starting lineup the last four games, though like Ty Berry, he's playing fewer minutes per game as a starter than he was in the previous four games as a reserve. Acuff brings...very little to the table offensively or defensively. The best thing that can be said about him is that he doesn't turn the ball over, and he almost never commits fouls (#2 in the country!). He's generally good for one 3-pointer per game, but shoots an awful 31% from 2-point range. He's basically had 3 good games all season - 7 points and 7 boards in a 1-point win against ND, 17 points against Wisconsin in a game they lost by 12, and 10 points, 5 boards and 3 assists in a blowout loss to Purdue. The one area he might provide some value is getting a handful of assists tonight.
SF, #9, 6'7" Dylan Grant. Rutgers counters our Canadian with one of their own. Originally from the Toronto suburb of Mississauga (it's just fun to say), Grant is a mere 3-star freshman who was #2 in the state of Michigan last year, and he's played his way into first the rotation, and now the starting lineup. He's played 6 games in a row, the last 4 as a starter, getting 20 mpg after only seeing action in 3 games with a total of 20 minutes prior to this stretch. He's very quickly made an impact, as he's shooting 50% from 3 and 59% from 2 over these last 6 games, though he's just 2-6 at the FT line. He scored 15 points while grabbing 3 rebounds and a block in their 3-point win at Nebraska, and has scored at least 7 points in 4 of the other 5 games. He's also largely avoided turning the ball over. With Harper out, look for this Dylan to be a big focal point for their offense.
Stretch-4, #4 6'10" Ace Bailey. The second stud freshman on their team, Bailey is a giant matchup problem for us (really, for anyone). He is the focal point of their offense, as would be expected, and has been absolutely killing it in 2025. Against the Hoosiers, Bailey took a ridiculous 19 midrange shots and made 10 of them, along with going 4-8 from 3 on his way to 39 points, plus 8 boards, 4 blocks and 1 steal. Wisconsin shut him down the next game, but in the 5 games since, he's averaged 21.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, along with 1.4 each of assists, blocks, and steals in 35 minutes per game. He does have a couple weaknesses, in that he's also averaged 2.4 turnovers per game over the last 5, and has had 4+ fouls in his last 3 games. We probably can't stop him, we can only hope to contain him.
C, #24 6'10" 275 lb Lathan Sommerville. Yet another freshman, this beefy lad hails from the great heartland of Peoria, IL. Pikiell inserted him into the starting lineup 5 games ago, over the more experienced Emmanuel Ogbole who was giving the team very little. Sommerville, much like Big Matt, doesn't give them much on offense, but he's a solid rebounder and shot blocker, plus he gets to the FT line a lot, where he shoots an excellent 81.5%. If we can keep him away from the rim, we should be able to limit the damage he can do, as when he gets to the rim, he either scores or gets fouled. He's also prone to getting into foul trouble, which would be great, as Rutgers definitely lacks depth right now in the frontcourt.
Reserves
CG, #1 6'2" Jamichael Davis. A second-year player at Rutgers, Davis started for most of the second half of last season, including their win against us where he had a solid game, with 11 points, 2 boards and 2 steals along with 2 turnovers. Davis, like Jeremiah Williams, has had an up-and-down year. He nearly fell out of the rotation, then started 7 games in a row, and now he's back on the bench behind Williams and Harper. He's a terrible shooter from everywhere on the court, and is at his best when he makes plays for others, with a solid 3.0:1 A/TO ratio. He's halfway decent defensively, and will grab a couple of steals here and there, but chances are he won't do much.
Wing, #0 6'6" Jordan Derkack. A transfer from Merrimack, Derkack has largely had a forgettable season thus far, until he had a monster game against MSU last weekend. 26 points on 11 shots including 4-7 from 3, along with 4 rebounds and 2 steals in their valiant effort at Madison Square Garden that ultimately fell short against the Spartans. Prior to that, his only good game was against ND, where he scored 16 points in 34 minutes with 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. Aside from that, he's been pretty terrible, so let's hope the last game was an anomaly. If nothing else, it should get the attention of our players.
Wing, #99 6'7" Zach Martini. A grad transfer from Princeton, Martini was a stud last year with a breakout season, yet was also very much an afterthought behind bigger studs Xaivian Lee, Caden Pierce and Matt Allocco. Despite that, his minutes have dropped in half from last season, though he has put up somewhat comparable numbers to last year despite the big jump up in competition. He has really struggled during conference play, though he was instrumental in their win at Nebraska, scoring 11 points on 3-4 from long range.
Wing, #23 6'6" PJ Hayes IV. Yes, that's the 4th PJ Hayes, thank you very much, and let me tell you, I did not expect a ginger from Minnesota after reading that name. Hayes played at a DII school in Spearfish, SD (shoutout Slade Larscheid) for 3 years before transferring to San Diego, and now to Rutgers for his 5th and final season. He's uh...he's not great. He averaged 9 points per game in 4 of the first 5 games this year, and since then has scored a total of 17 points in the last 12 games he's played. Hasn't made a 3 in 2025.
So yeah, after going through that, Rutgers may have a lot of players to put on the court, but if we don't win this game it's real, real bad. Without Harper, their offense is a tire fire. They lose the effectiveness of their transition offense along with 2nd-chance points, and they are reduced to using a lot more post-up action, which, to be fair, is fairly effective for them. Their shooting percentage absolutely tanks, and they get to the line way less. Interestingly though they turn the ball over way less, and force more on defense.
20 minutes until gametime, so hopefully we've got a big crowd tonight to spur our 'Cats to victory!
Starters
CG, #25 6'4" Jeremiah Williams. Last year Williams missed 20 games due to suspension related to some transfer nonsense, and then seamlessly blended into the starting lineup, which included a win over us where he has 15 points, albeit on 13 shots, 5 boards, 6 assists, 3 blocks and 1 steal. This year, he has been less involved due to stud Dylan Harper playing his spot. His numbers are down across the board to the point where he lost his starting spot for three games, until the injury to Harper brought him back into the lineup. He's always been a terrible 3-point shooter, but this year he's compounded it with terrible FT shooting along with getting into foul trouble quickly as well. His one bright spot seems to be midrange jumpers. Hopefully he continues his down season tonight against us.
CG, #5, 6'4" Tyson Acuff. A 5th-year transfer who spent time at both Duquesne and Eastern Michigan, Acuff has found his way into the starting lineup the last four games, though like Ty Berry, he's playing fewer minutes per game as a starter than he was in the previous four games as a reserve. Acuff brings...very little to the table offensively or defensively. The best thing that can be said about him is that he doesn't turn the ball over, and he almost never commits fouls (#2 in the country!). He's generally good for one 3-pointer per game, but shoots an awful 31% from 2-point range. He's basically had 3 good games all season - 7 points and 7 boards in a 1-point win against ND, 17 points against Wisconsin in a game they lost by 12, and 10 points, 5 boards and 3 assists in a blowout loss to Purdue. The one area he might provide some value is getting a handful of assists tonight.
SF, #9, 6'7" Dylan Grant. Rutgers counters our Canadian with one of their own. Originally from the Toronto suburb of Mississauga (it's just fun to say), Grant is a mere 3-star freshman who was #2 in the state of Michigan last year, and he's played his way into first the rotation, and now the starting lineup. He's played 6 games in a row, the last 4 as a starter, getting 20 mpg after only seeing action in 3 games with a total of 20 minutes prior to this stretch. He's very quickly made an impact, as he's shooting 50% from 3 and 59% from 2 over these last 6 games, though he's just 2-6 at the FT line. He scored 15 points while grabbing 3 rebounds and a block in their 3-point win at Nebraska, and has scored at least 7 points in 4 of the other 5 games. He's also largely avoided turning the ball over. With Harper out, look for this Dylan to be a big focal point for their offense.
Stretch-4, #4 6'10" Ace Bailey. The second stud freshman on their team, Bailey is a giant matchup problem for us (really, for anyone). He is the focal point of their offense, as would be expected, and has been absolutely killing it in 2025. Against the Hoosiers, Bailey took a ridiculous 19 midrange shots and made 10 of them, along with going 4-8 from 3 on his way to 39 points, plus 8 boards, 4 blocks and 1 steal. Wisconsin shut him down the next game, but in the 5 games since, he's averaged 21.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, along with 1.4 each of assists, blocks, and steals in 35 minutes per game. He does have a couple weaknesses, in that he's also averaged 2.4 turnovers per game over the last 5, and has had 4+ fouls in his last 3 games. We probably can't stop him, we can only hope to contain him.
C, #24 6'10" 275 lb Lathan Sommerville. Yet another freshman, this beefy lad hails from the great heartland of Peoria, IL. Pikiell inserted him into the starting lineup 5 games ago, over the more experienced Emmanuel Ogbole who was giving the team very little. Sommerville, much like Big Matt, doesn't give them much on offense, but he's a solid rebounder and shot blocker, plus he gets to the FT line a lot, where he shoots an excellent 81.5%. If we can keep him away from the rim, we should be able to limit the damage he can do, as when he gets to the rim, he either scores or gets fouled. He's also prone to getting into foul trouble, which would be great, as Rutgers definitely lacks depth right now in the frontcourt.
Reserves
CG, #1 6'2" Jamichael Davis. A second-year player at Rutgers, Davis started for most of the second half of last season, including their win against us where he had a solid game, with 11 points, 2 boards and 2 steals along with 2 turnovers. Davis, like Jeremiah Williams, has had an up-and-down year. He nearly fell out of the rotation, then started 7 games in a row, and now he's back on the bench behind Williams and Harper. He's a terrible shooter from everywhere on the court, and is at his best when he makes plays for others, with a solid 3.0:1 A/TO ratio. He's halfway decent defensively, and will grab a couple of steals here and there, but chances are he won't do much.
Wing, #0 6'6" Jordan Derkack. A transfer from Merrimack, Derkack has largely had a forgettable season thus far, until he had a monster game against MSU last weekend. 26 points on 11 shots including 4-7 from 3, along with 4 rebounds and 2 steals in their valiant effort at Madison Square Garden that ultimately fell short against the Spartans. Prior to that, his only good game was against ND, where he scored 16 points in 34 minutes with 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. Aside from that, he's been pretty terrible, so let's hope the last game was an anomaly. If nothing else, it should get the attention of our players.
Wing, #99 6'7" Zach Martini. A grad transfer from Princeton, Martini was a stud last year with a breakout season, yet was also very much an afterthought behind bigger studs Xaivian Lee, Caden Pierce and Matt Allocco. Despite that, his minutes have dropped in half from last season, though he has put up somewhat comparable numbers to last year despite the big jump up in competition. He has really struggled during conference play, though he was instrumental in their win at Nebraska, scoring 11 points on 3-4 from long range.
Wing, #23 6'6" PJ Hayes IV. Yes, that's the 4th PJ Hayes, thank you very much, and let me tell you, I did not expect a ginger from Minnesota after reading that name. Hayes played at a DII school in Spearfish, SD (shoutout Slade Larscheid) for 3 years before transferring to San Diego, and now to Rutgers for his 5th and final season. He's uh...he's not great. He averaged 9 points per game in 4 of the first 5 games this year, and since then has scored a total of 17 points in the last 12 games he's played. Hasn't made a 3 in 2025.
So yeah, after going through that, Rutgers may have a lot of players to put on the court, but if we don't win this game it's real, real bad. Without Harper, their offense is a tire fire. They lose the effectiveness of their transition offense along with 2nd-chance points, and they are reduced to using a lot more post-up action, which, to be fair, is fairly effective for them. Their shooting percentage absolutely tanks, and they get to the line way less. Interestingly though they turn the ball over way less, and force more on defense.
20 minutes until gametime, so hopefully we've got a big crowd tonight to spur our 'Cats to victory!
