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After losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes, 76-65 at home just three weeks ago, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights find themseleves with a chance at revenge in Iowa on Sunday.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (-4, 141)
In the first meeting, Rutgers’ perimeter defense was weak, allowing Iowa to shoot 12-of-27 from 3-point range. While Iowa has scored at least 75 points in every home game this season, the Hawkeyes are shooting just 33.8% from 3-point range for the season, good for 178th in the nation.
As for the Scarlet Knights, they rank 13th in the nation in opponent 3-point shooting percentage, second in floor percentage and third in points allowed on a per-possession basis.
The only other time Rutgers has given up more than 70 points this season was against Temple (72), a game in which guards Caleb McConnell and Paul Mulcahy were missing. McConnell and Mulcahy average a combined 4.0 steals per game for a Rutgers defense that ranks 22nd in the nation in turnovers forced per offensive play.
The Iowa defense enters Sunday 178th in the nation in points allowed on a per-possession basis with its opponents making 52.1% of their 2-point shots in home games this season, good for 298th in the nation.
The first meeting seemed to be an outlier as Rutgers had more offensive rebounds and three fewer turnovers than Iowa. With their perimeter defense being as strong as they come in the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights will get revenge on Sunday.
The Play: Rutgers +4
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