NCAAB Game Preview - Seton Hall at Rutgers

Sat Dec 14, 2019 4:00 PM EST

No. 22 Seton Hall is hurting from a loss at Iowa State while Rutgers is on a surge after a victory over Wisconsin.

The New Jersey schools separated by only 17 miles meet Saturday at Rutgers in a nonconference game marketed as the Garden State Hardwood Classic.

The Pirates (6-3) will be without starter Sandro Mamukelashvili, who broke his right wrist in the first half at Iowa State on Sunday as part of the Big East/Big 12 Alliance series.

Mamukelashvili, a 6-foot-11 forward averaging 10.9 points and 4.7 rebounds, went down hard with 15:14 to go in the first half and didn't return. On Tuesday, it was announced Mamukelashvili will be out two months.

Seton Hall will continue to rely on senior All-America candidate Myles Powell, who finished with 19 points and eight rebounds against Iowa State, a game in which the Pirates committed a season-high 20 turnovers.

Powell surpassed Andre Barrett (2000-04) for eighth all-time in scoring at Seton Hall. Powell now has 1,869 points. He made four 3-pointers while shooting 7-for-20 from the field against the Cyclones.

Rutgers (7-3) hopes to build off its 72-65 win over Wisconsin on Wednesday in front of a raucous crowd of 6,361 at the Rutgers Athletic Center.

Junior guard Geo Baker led his team with 22 points, four assists and three steals.

"I thought we were locked in today," Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. "I thought we were swarming. We have to play like that."

Rutgers also got 12 points and seven rebounds from sophomore center Myles Johnson.

Coming off double-digit losses at Pittsburgh and Michigan State, the Scarlet Knights played with intensity from the start, building a 9-0 lead after forcing four Badgers turnovers.

"This was a needed game," Johnson said. "We needed it, and we got it."

Rutgers' hustle stats were impressive plus-14 in rebounds (including 14-3 on the offensive glass), 23-5 in second-chance points, 42-28 in points in the paint and 22-10 in points off turnovers.

"That's team basketball," Pikiell said. "This was a great team win and those are some great team statistics."

Pikiell inserted wing Akwasi Yeboah into the starting lineup for the first time and made him a co-captain of the team. Yeboah responded posting nine points, eight rebounds and two steals while shooting 3-for-6 from the floor.

Powell was Seton Hall's only double-digit scorer in the loss at Iowa State. Senior Quincy McKnight was second on the team with nine points. McKnight is third on the team averaging 9.4 points per game. Wing player Jared Rhoden leads the Pirates in rebounding with 5.2 a game.

--Field Level Media