Men's Hoops Hosts No. 15 Wisconsin at MSG Saturday
Jan 26 | Men's Basketball
| No. 15 Wisconsin at Rutgers(Super Saturday at Madison Square Garden) | |
| Date | Saturday, January 28 |
| Time | 12 p.m. |
| Location | Madison Square Garden | New York, N.Y. |
| Video | Big Ten Network (Kevin Kugler / Jon Crispin / Rick Pizzo) |
| Radio | Rutgers IMG Sports Radio Network - WCTC 1450 AM & WOR 710 AM |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Wisconsin | B1G Super Saturday Homepage |
| Media Guide | Rutgers |
| Tickets | Tickets |
Rutgers Interactive Game Notes
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers (12-9, 1-7) plays its eighth opponent in 10 games to have been ranked or receiving votes this season when it hosts No. 15 Wisconsin (17-3, 6-1) in a 12 noon tip-off during "Super Saturday - College Hoops & Hockey" at Madison Square Garden. Although it is a designated home game, the contest will mark the Scarlet Knights' eighth game away from the RAC over 11 contests. RU will be working to return to the win column and earn its first win over a nationally ranked foe since downing the No. 4 Badgers at the RAC, 67-62, on Jan. 11, 2015.
Rutgers is fourth nationally in rebounds-per-game (42.14), 19th in rebound margin (+7.3), 16th in blocks (5.6) and 23rd in field goal percentage defense (39.3). Wisconsin is fifth in rebound margin (+10.2), eighth in scoring defense (60.9), ninth in personal fouls (15.2) and 11th in scoring margin (+15.8).
Saturday's game will be televised on BTN, with Kevin Kugler calling the action, Jon Crispin providing the analysis and Rick Pizzo serving as courtside reporter. On the radio, the contest will be broadcast on the Rutgers IMG Sports Network, WOR 710 AM in New York & WCTC 1450 AM in New Brunswick, as well as on Sirius 134 and XM 195. Jerry Recco will serve as play-by-play announcer and Joe Boylan will provide commentary. WRSU (88.7 FM) will also broadcast the game.
It will mark the 100th game for the Scarlet Knights at the current (since Feb. 1968) Madison Square Garden, where they have won two straight and three of their last four to help comprise a 45-54 record. Overall at MSG since 1949, Rutgers is 51-56 with a 3-20 mark against ranked opponents. Versus current Big Ten members, RU is 2-2 at The Garden, defeating Purdue and Ohio State before falling to Maryland and Michigan.
Rutgers and Wisconsin have met six times on the collegiate hardwood between dating back to 1949, with the Badgers holding a 5-1 advantage. In its Big Ten opener on Dec. 27, No. 14 UW defeated RU 72-52 at the Kohl Center. After trailing by 21 points in the second half, Rutgers fought back to within nine with possession, but would get no closer.
Corey Sanders scored 15 points and Nigel Johnson added 14, but Rutgers dropped a 67-55 decision to No. 22 Maryland on Tuesday evening before 17,950 fans at the Xfinity Center. The Scarlet Knights were unable to overcome their struggles at the free throw line, making 10-of-24, in a game that featured five ties and seven lead changes. RU out-rebounded the Terps 40-39, including 22 offensive boards, to establish a 32-28 edge in points in the paint and a 19-11 advantage in second chance points.
Sanders has led the Rutgers' scoring attack in five of its past six games, and is averaging 18.3 points in that span.
Wisconsin used a big second half to pull away from Penn State in an 82-55 home victory on Tuesday night. Behind 20 points from Bronson Koenig, the Badgers out-scored the Nittany Lions 46-22 after the break, holding PSU to just 26.9 percent shooting. Under the leadership of second-year head coach Greg Gard, UW has won four straight and twelve of its last 13 match-ups. Nigel Hayes and Ethan Happ were named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top-25 list. Along with Koenig, all three players are on national award watch lists.
