Men's Hoops Opens B1G Season at Wisconsin
Dec 26 | Men's Basketball
| Rutgers at Wisconsin | |
| Date | Tuesday, December 27 |
| Time | 7 p.m. (ET) |
| Location | Kohl Center | Madison, Wis. |
| Video | ESPN2 (Bob Picozzi and LaPhonso Ellis) |
| Radio | Rutgers IMG Sports Radio Network - WCTC 1450 AM & WOR 710 AM (Jerry Recco & Joe Boylan) |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| Media Guide | Rutgers |
Rutgers Game Notes
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers (11-2) takes flight for its first Big Ten opener when it meets No. 14/14 Wisconsin (11-2) in a 7 p.m. (6 p.m. local) tip-off at the 17,287-seat Kohl Center in Madison on Tuesday. The Scarlet Knights will be working to return to the win column and earn their initial B1G road victory as a league member. The Badgers are looking for their seventh consecutive victory and 15th straight at home. RU's last win over a nationally-ranked foe was a 67-62 decision over No. 4 UW at the RAC on Jan. 11, 2015. Rutgers' most recent road victory over a ranked opponent was a 77-64 win at No. 13 Pittsburgh on Jan. 26, 2008.
Tuesday evening's game will be televised live on ESPN2, with Bob Picozzi calling the action and LaPhonso Ellis providing the analysis. On the radio, the contest will be broadcast live on the Rutgers IMG Sports Network, WOR 710 AM in New York & WCTC 1450 AM in New Brunswick. Jerry Recco will serve as play-by-play announcer and Joe Boylan will provide commentary.
The game will mark the sixth meeting on the collegiate hardwood between Rutgers and Wisconsin dating back to 1949 with the Badgers holding a 4-1 advantage, which included a home-and-home series in 2003 and 2004. RU fell at Wisconsin, 79-57, in its conference opener last season. Mike Williams shot 7-of-12 to score 20 points. UW shot 53 percent, including 8-of-18 (44 percent) from behind the arc. Rutgers made 40 percent of its field goal attempts and 42 percent (5-of-12) from long distance. The teams meet again later this season on Jan. 28 for "Super Saturday College Hoops & Hockey" at Madison Square Garden.
Wisconsin ranks second nationally in rebound margin (+14.2), while RU is sixth (+11.5) in the category.
Rutgers held Seton Hall to just 24.2 percent (8-of-33) shooting in the opening half, but were unable to limit the Pirates' offense for the full 40 minutes in a 72-61 loss Friday night in the Garden State Hardwood Classic at the Prudential Center. Corey Sanders and Nigel Johnson posted 17 and 16 points, respectively, to pace the Scarlet Knights in a game that featured eight ties and nine lead changes. Deshawn Freeman grabbed 11 rebounds to boost a defense that limited SHU to 38.1 percent (24-of-63) shooting, including 5-of-14 (35.7 percent) from behind the arc. Freeman was 5-of-6 from the free throw line, as the Scarlet Knights made 22-of-28 (78.6 percent) from the stripe.
Wisconsin, under the leadership of second-year head coach Greg Gard, established a 53-21 rebounding advantage in a 90-37 home win over Florida A&M on Friday. The Badgers shot 52.3 percent (34-of-65), while limiting the Rattlers to a 25.9 percent (14-of-54) field goal percentage. Three UW players average double figure in scoring, including Bronson Koenig, with a team-best 14.6. The Badgers' two losses came on the road at nationally-ranked foes, falling at No. 22 Creighton and at No. 4 North Carolina. Nigel Hayes was selected as the Big Ten's Preseason Player of the Year and was joined on the first team by Ethan Happ, who currently ranks sixth nationally in field goal percentage (69.2), and Koening.
