Rutgers Interactive Game Notes

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers (13-11, 2-9) plays its 10th game away from the RAC over 14 contests, when it travels to Columbus to meet Ohio State (14-10, 4-7) in a 7 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday at 18,809-seat Value City Arena. The Scarlet Knights will be working to earn their second straight Big Ten road victory and capture consecutive league road wins for the first time since February 2000. The last time RU won consecutive away conference contests played back-to-back was in February 1991 as a member of the Atlantic 10. The Buckeyes will be working for their second straight win as well, while working to improve to 12-4 at home.

Rutgers is fourth nationally in rebounds-per-game (42.17), 15th in rebound margin (+7.4), 19th in blocks (5.4) and 21st in field goal percentage defense (39.6). Ohio State is 42nd in field goal percentage defense (40.7).

Wednesday evening's game will be televised live on BTN, with Cory Provus calling the action and Shon Morris 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 contest will mark the fifth meeting on the collegiate hardwood between RU and Ohio State, with the Buckeyes holding a 3-1 advantage. OSU swept the home-and-home series last season. In the lone meeting in Columbus, Rutgers fell 94-68 last January. Corey Sanders scored 17 points in the opening 20 minutes, was 7-of-14 from the field and 4-of-8 from behind the arc en route to a game-high 20 points, as the Scarlet Knights held a 41-39 lead at the midpoint. In the first meeting, RU defeated Ohio State, 97-96, in triple overtime to win the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 30, 1978. James Bailey had 31 points, Daryl Strickland had 17 and Abdel Anderson contributed 16. A Bailey slam dunk with 34 seconds remaining proved the decisive score.

Sanders shot 4-of-5 from behind the arc to score a game-high 25 points in a 70-68 Rutgers victory at Penn State on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights out-rebounded the Nittany Lions 39-27 to establish a 17-4 advantage in second chance points en route to their first Big Ten road win. After leading by as much as 13 in the second half, Rutgers held off a late surge by PSU to grind-out the hard-fought victory. Sanders, who added three steals and six rebounds, was joined in double figures by Deshawn Freeman (15), Mike Williams (12) and C.J. Gettys (10). Freeman and Gettys helped provide RU a 30-18 scoring advantage in the paint.

Ohio State, under the leadership of 13th-year head coach Thad Matta, overwhelmed the Wolverines around the basket in a 70-66 upset victory at Michigan on Saturday. Marc Loving scored 17 points and Trevor Thompson had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Buckeyes, who outrebounded Michigan 42-24. Ohio State has five players averaging 10 or more points, with Jae'Sean Tate leading the way (14.2). OSU has the most home wins nationally since the 2009-10 season with a 132-20 (.868) record.