Don't let Rutgers' 1-7 Big East record fool you. Despite a serious slump in the three weeks since Rutgers last met Georgetown, the Scarlet Knights are dangerous at home, and due to give the Hoyas some trouble.

The road struggles of Rutgers are well known (three road wins in Big East play since 2000) but the Scarlet Knights have always been a tough out at home, until just recently. Entering the 2004-05 season, Rutgers had won 70% of its Big East home games at the RAC under coach Gary Waters, but has uncharacteristically lost three of four to date. News outlets reported its athletic director criticized the team in the locker room after a 33 point loss to Villanova, and guard Ricky Shields was quoted as saying the team is "in crisis". If the Scarlet Knights have any hope to turn around the season, it must start with Saturday's game against the Hoyas.

Rutgers has struggled in recent games because of poor shooting--its season shooting percentage has fallen from 44% to 41% in three weeks. For Rutgers to turn it around, point production from sophomore Quincy Douby is essential--Douby remains the Scarlet Knights' best hope for the rest of this season. Douby was held to just nine points in the one point loss to St. John's and 13 in the loss to Georgetown, two of his lower scoring outputs of the season. He remains one of the top threats in the league and must not be overlooked.

Guard Ricky Shields has endured some incredible shooting droughts against the Hoyas, shooting 8 for 52 for his career against the G-men. Still, averaging 14 points a game this season, Shields is capable of the big game.

Rutgers' Juel Wiggan came to play in the first Georgetown game, scoring 23 points, but was held to just two against St. John's Wednesday night. Better things are expected along the Raritan from Ollie Bailey, who scored only 4 points in 17 minutes last month against the Hoyas. Douby and Bailey are the Knights' best athletes and stopping each of them will be a defensive goal for Georgetown.

The Hoyas have seemed to hit a wall in their last three games, lacking the outside firepower that has been a trademark this season. Turnovers have increased considerably, so much so that Georgetown is close to dropping below even in its assist to turnover ratio after a considerable advantage in assists earlier this year. Georgetown must reduce its turnovers and get the ball back inside where Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert have an advantage.

Three keys to the game:

1. The bench. Though the Hoyas have relied almost exclusively on starters, Darrel Owens' 14 points in the Jan. 11 game was critical to the win. Owens has been scoreless in his last two games and GU needs a spark off the bench.
2. Rebounds. Georgetown has an advantage on the boards and must close down the second shot opportunities for what is a poor shooting Rutgers team.
3. Keep the crowd out of the game. The RAC can be intimidating, especially for freshmen. The Hoyas need to keep the crowd out of the game.

Douby and Bailey will keep this game close, and any turnaround from Shields will Rutgers more than a fighting chance. But if Georgetown is serious about playing past the second week of March, it's a game that they cannot let slip away.