Rutgers 2010 Preview & Predictions

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Basketball 2010-2011 Preview, Predictions, Picks & Odds

With the College Basketball 2010-2011 Season just around the corner, we are providing season previews & predictions for all NCAA basketball teams to give you the betting edge this year. Follow the best College Basketball Handicappers as they analyze their teams in this 2010-2011 basketball season preview. Be sure to bookmark SportsbookBuzz.com your source for Sportsbook Reviews. Use our comprehensive and insider info to bet successfully on the College Basketball in our recommend online sportsbooks.View the rest of our 2010-2011 NCAA Basketball Season Previews here.

Rutgers Preview Picks, & Odds.

Rutgers 2009-2010 Record: 15-17 overall; 5-13 Big East (14th)

Rutgers Coach: Mike Rice – At Rutgers: first year; overall: 73-31,3 years

Rutgers Players to Watch: Dane Miller’s dazzling athleticism and explosive scoring ability offered hints of something special. But he has to be more consistent especially from the foul line and on the perimeter.

Rutgers Key Losses: Hamady Ndiaye, C, 7-0. 235 (9.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 145 blocks); Mike Rosario, G. 6-3,190 (16.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 78 3-pointers); Gregory Echenique, F, 6-9, 265 (12.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg)

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2010-2011 Rutgers Season Preview

By all accounts, Mike Rice is a superb game coach, possesses a laudable work ethic and has the right connections as a recruiter. He will need those traits because Rutgers has become a job that chews up and spits out coaches every four or five years. Rice fresh off a successful three-year run at Robert Morris, is the latest to take the challenge of trying to turn around a program that hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 1991. The former Pitt assistant arrives with boundless energy and enthusiasm, but it still comes down to players. For starters, Rice doesn’t have enough of them after star guard Mike Rosario transferred to Florida and promising center Greg Echenique left for Creighton. That means Rice’s infectious optimism and coaching ability – No. 15 seed Robert Morris took second-seeded Villanova into overtime in a 73-70 first-round NCAA loss last March – will have to do until the latest rebuilding project in Piscataway gets started.

Rutgers Backcourt

Desperate for guard help, Rice found some on June 3 in the junior college ranks when he landed point guard Tyree Graham, who starred at Brunswick (N.C.) Community College last season. Graham started his career at Texas Tech, averaging 3.9 points as a freshman. He will push returning point guard co-starters James Beatty and Mike Coburn, both of whom need to show major improvement as seniors. Beatty is more likely to do so, since last season was his first after arriving from junior college. He shot 40.6 percent from 3-point range and had a team-leading 115 assists. Slick-shooting freshman Austin Carroll, the son of former Duquesne head coach John Carroll, will add to a perimeter game that desperately needs help. Classmate Mike Poole, a late signee, should be able to earn minutes on his defensive ability alone.

Rutgers Frontcourt

Dane Miller’s impressive freshman season – he lost in a close vote to Cincinnati’s Lance Stephenson in the league Rookie of the Year balloting – wasn’t without its flaws. Miller, a dazzling athlete, shot just 27.9 percent from 3-point range and tied for the team lead with 87 turnovers. But he’s the player Rice will build around because of his explosive offensive ability. Senior forward Jonathan Mitchell hinted last Season that he is capable of shouldering a bigger load after the Florida transfer averaged 11.8 points and 6.1 rebounds in his first season with the Knights. The lack of any frontcourt depth almost assures that versatile freshman Gilvydas Biruta will start. The 6-8 Biruta comes well prepared – and with a good skill set – after a solid career at powerhouse St. Benedict’s (N.J.) Prep. One of the frontcourt keys will be the development of 6-8, 250-pound sophomore post Austin Johnson, who played in all 32 games last year but didn’t have much impact.

2010-2011 Rutgers Predictions

Can Rice succeed where so many Rutgers coaches have failed? He has the pedigree (his dad, Mike Sr., was the head coach at Duquesne and Youngstown State), but faces an enormous challenge in an unforgiving conference. If Rice can impress quickly with his coaching ability, it should help on the recruiting front. This is still a second-division Big East team because of a talent shortage and a thin roster, but it’s one with the potential to steal a few games if injuries don’t hit.

Rutgers Finish in the Big East: 15th

Rutgers Betting Odds

Rutgers Odds to Win 2010-2011 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament: +10000
Rutgers Odds to Win the Big East: +1800

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Rutgers Basketball Handicapping Picks

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