Game: Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Minnesota Golden Gophers
Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026
Location: Williams Arena in Minneapolis, MN
TV: ESPN+
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (11-15) are en route to Williams Arena on Saturday where they will meet the Minnesota Golden Gophers (12-14).
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights stepped onto the hardwood against Penn State and took home the win by a score of 85-72 in their last contest. Rutgers wrapped up the contest having earned a 56.6% field goal percentage (30 of 53) and converted 5 of their 16 shots from distance. At the free throw line, the Scarlet Knights knocked down 20 of 23 shots for a percentage of 87.0%. With regard to pulling down boards, they earned 23 with 4 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 16 assists in this matchup as well as forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and earning 10 steals. In regard to defending, Rutgers allowed 55.3% from the field on 26 of 47 shooting. Penn State doled out 12 assists and had 7 steals in the matchup. In addition, Penn State snagged 22 rebounds (5 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn’t notch a block. Penn State ended up going 77.3% at the free throw line by burying 17 of their 22 attempts. They also buried 3 of 17 tries from three-point range. In reference to personal fouls, the Scarlet Knights ended up with 18 and Penn State finished the game with 19 personal fouls.
Tariq Francis is one guy who was a major factor for the game. He finished the game at 58.3% from the floor and also recorded 7 dimes. He was on the court for 33 mins and also snagged 3 rebounds. He ended up finishing with 22 points on 7 out of 12 shooting.
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Rutgers heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 11-15 on the season. They cough up possession 10.7 times per game and as a team they commit 16.9 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Rutgers is grabbing 34.2 rebounds per game and has accumulated 294 assists so far this year, which is 346th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. The Scarlet Knights are connecting on 32.0% on shots from 3-point land (171 of 534) and 73.3% from the free throw line. They are averaging 70.6 points per contest (305th in Division 1) while going 41.6% from the field.
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When they are on defense, the Scarlet Knights have forced 11.2 turnovers per game and they draw 18.3 fouls. They are ranked 287th in the nation in giving up assists to the opposition with 396 relinquished on the campaign. The Scarlet Knights defense is giving up a FG percentage of 45.5% (696 of 1,529) and they surrender 36.0 boards per contest as a squad. They are surrendering 36.4% on three-point shots and they are 232nd in D-1 in PPG from their opponents (75.5).
For their last game, the Minnesota Golden Gophers went home victorious with a score of 61-44 against Oregon. With respect to cleaning up the glass, Minnesota allowed Oregon to snag 26 in all (6 offensive). They finished 10.0% from three-point range by shooting 2 of 20 and ended up going 2 out of 2 at the free throw line (100.0%). The Golden Gophers allowed Oregon to knock down 20 of 53 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 37.7% for this game. When this game wrapped up, the Golden Gophers shot 22 out of 55 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 40.0%. In reference to shooting from beyond the arc, Minnesota converted 9 of their 29 attempts (31.0%). They were able to make 8 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 80.0%. Oregon had 10 fouls in the matchup which took the Golden Gophers to the free throw line for 10 tries. They turned it over 11 times, while earning 7 steals for the game. The Golden Gophers were able to snag 21 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 33 for the contest.
Isaac Asuma ended up being a factor for the Golden Gophers in this contest. He earned 15 points in his 36 minutes on the court and had 4 dimes in the matchup. He buried 6 of 14 in this game for a field goal percentage of 42.9%, and had 5 rebounds.
Minnesota has a record of 12-14 on the year. When it comes to offense, the Golden Gophers are hitting on 45.2% from the floor, which is ranked 185th in college hoops. Minnesota has scored 1,835 points on the season (70.6 per contest) and they average 32.6 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 17.3 times per contest (30th in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 10.8 times per game. The Golden Gophers are committing 15.6 fouls per contest and they hit 69.3% from the charity stripe.
The Minnesota defense gives up 33.3% on 3-pointers (198 of 595) and their opposition knocks down 72.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 13.8 assists and 32.8 boards per contest, which ranks them 218th and 80th in those categories. The Golden Gophers are ranked 42nd in the nation in points given up per game with 68.0. They are forcing 11.3 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 43.7% from the floor (164th in college).
Who will win tonight’s NCAA game against the spread?
Guy Bruhn’s Pick: Take Rutgers
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