The senior guard is the only Rutgers player on the list. He is one of 10 Big Ten players in the conference on the watch list, the most of any conference.
Harper will be an influential part of a Rutgers team that is looking to improve on last season and what has been a successful two years for the program. This past spring, the men’s basketball team broke a three-decade long drought and made the NCAA Tournament. As a No. 10 seed, they beat Clemson in the opening round before narrowly falling to a Houston team that made the Final Four.
Rutgers finished last season 16-12 (10-10 Big Ten) in the regular season.
The return of Ron Harper Jr. and Geo Baker for another year at Rutgers is huge for the men’s basketball program, as evidenced by their recent rankings by the Big Ten Network.
As part of their preseason programming, the Big Ten Network is doing a run down of the premier players in the conference. ‘The Top 20 Big Ten Hoopers in 20 Days’ sees Harper in at seventh on the list and Baker at ninth.
It is a big nod for Rutgers and a sign of the respect for the program to place two players within the top 10 of this list. The return of both players makes Rutgers a likely return team to the NCAA Tournament this year.
The Scarlet Knights snapped their three-decade long stretch without an NCAA Tournament last year. Not only did Rutgers go dancing, but they beat Clemson in the opening round and narrowly lost in the next round to Houston, a team that would end up in the Final Four.
Ron Harper Jr. was named on Wednesday as a member of the 2021-22 Preseason All-Big Ten Team. The Rutgers forward was the only Scarlet Knights player announced to the list.
Rutgers is one of seven men’s basketball programs to have a player selected to the list. Michigan, Illinois and Purdue each had two selections to the 11 players on the list:
(Players in all capital letters were unanimous selections).
Illinois center Kofi Cockburn was named 2021-22 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year.
Rutgers was picked to finish eighth in the Big Ten preseason poll earlier this month. The Scarlet Knights made the NCAA Tournament this spring for the first time in three decades. They won their first-round game over Clemson and lost 63-60 to a Houston team that made the Final Four.
Three Big Ten small forwards were named to the watchlist for the prestigious 2022 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. The award is given out to the top small forward in men’s college basketball.
Harper will be counted on heavily for Rutgers this year as the program looks to make back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 1975-76. He was an influential part of the Scarlet Knights solid season, averaging 14.9 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game.
The inclusion of Houstan is impressive as the freshman has yet to play a game at Michigan. The 6-foot-8 Canadian has a long wingspan, is a good perimeter defender, and is equally impressive with his back to the basket as he is playing above the rim. He was a five-star recruit and ranked the No. 14 player in the nation according to 247Sports.
Certainly a known commodity, the inclusion of Sueing is no surprise. The senior is coming off a solid season where he averaged 10.1 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game. It was his first season with the Buckeyes, having transferred to Columbus after playing his previous two seasons at Cal. He is expected to play an even larger role for Ohio State this season.
Only one player from the Big Ten, Denzel Valentine of Michigan State in 2016, has won the award. The Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award was first given out in 2015.
In the first half of Friday’s road matchup against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, the No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers started off well led by a pho…
In the first half of Friday’s road matchup against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, the No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers started off well led by a phenomenal early effort from guard Brad Davison. The senior scored the first six points for the Badgers and led them to a narrow 33-32 halftime lead against the Scarlet Knights.
Wisconsin has come out strong against Rutgers, which is a welcome sight after the Badgers’ rough outing at Michigan on Tuesday. Davison and Aleem Ford have jump-started the Wisconsin offense with their play. Davison drew a 3-point shooting foul, hit a three, and had a gorgeous early assist to Micah Potter for the slam dunk. He finished the first half with nine points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Ford had one of the drives of the season, attacking Rutgers big man Myles Johnson and finishing with a little english:
Rutgers struggled against the Badgers early in the first half, but big production from guard Jacob Young has led them back to being down just one. The Scarlet Knights will need to see more from their leading scorer Ron Harper Jr. in the second half.
Wisconsin faces the Rutgers in Piscataway on Wednesday evening. Badger fans should be sure to know these three opposing players.
Wisconsin (5-4) will look to reverse its miserable fortunes away from the Kohl Center so far this season when it takes on Rutgers (6-3) in Piscataway on Wednesday evening.
The Badgers were able to snag a win by the skin of their teeth in last year’s matchup between these programs in Madison, taking down the Scarlet Knights 69-64 after trailing by five at halftime.
Wisconsin is coming off of a much-needed blowout victory over Indiana at home last weekend to snap a three-game losing streak, while Rutgers has lost two straight. Most recently, the Scarlet Knights dropped a 77-65 decision in East Lansing to No. 11 Michigan State on Sunday.
When you compare the personnel on these two rosters, there is no question that this is a matchup Wisconsin should come out on top of, even on the road. That being said, the Scarlet Knights have given the Badgers plenty of trouble in the last three meetings between these squads (they actually beat Bucky in 2017-18), and they have the pieces in their rotation to do so again this season.
Here are the three players on the other side who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout tomorrow’s contest.
Harper has stepped into the role of Rutgers’ No. 1 scorer this season now that last year’s leading bucket-getter, Eugene Omoruyi, has transferred to Oregon.
While the sophomore guard/forward’s scoring average is up five points from his freshman season, his value to the Scarlet Knights extends far beyond his ability to knock down shots. The 6-6 Harper has exceptional size for his position and a versatile skill set that helps him make an impact inside and out, on both ends of the court. In addition to leading the team in scoring, he currently ranks second on the team in rebounds and third in blocks and steals.
Dec 3, 2019; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Geo Baker (0) handles the ball against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
A consensus Honorable Mention All-Big Ten pick last year, Baker was head coach Steve Pikiell’s top returning scorer heading into the season, as well as a returning team captain.
While his scoring production is down a bit from a year ago, he’s certainly still served as a go-to player for Rutgers in that department this season, ranking just one point behind Harper for the team lead with an average of 11.8 points per game. Baker is also the team’s top assists man as well as a pesky defender, leading the Scarlet Knights in steals.
The 6-4 guard’s 1.6 steals per game is the No. 4 average in the Big Ten, and he trailed only Josh Reaves of Penn State in that category last season.
Baker is arguably the best player Rutgers will have at its disposal against Wisconsin, but it’s worth noting that his performances against high-major opponents this season have left much to be desired: in the Scarlet Knights’ last two games against Pitt and Michigan State, he combined for just 13 points on 22.2 percent shooting from the field.
Rutgers will probably need a stronger effort than that from Baker to beat the Badgers.
Myles Johnson – Center
2019 stats: 8.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 69.6 FG%
The 6-10, 255-pound Johnson is Rutgers’ enforcer down low, utilizing his 7-7 wingspan to lead the team in blocks and rebounds so far this season. He’s also about as efficient of a scorer near the basket as you will find in the conference, ranking third in two-point shooting percentage.
Johnson is especially solid on the offensive glass, currently sitting at No. 4 in the Big Ten in offensive rebound percentage after trailing just nine other players nationally in that category a season ago.
Nate Reuvers, the Badgers’ leading scorer right now and the only true post player in the rotation with Micah Potter still ineligible, has had some problems on both ends of the floor when matched up with physical big men in the paint throughout Wisconsin’s first nine games. Reuvers’ struggles have often coincided with the team’s as a whole, so how he fares in his matchup with Johnson will be critical to the game’s outcome.
