(RV/RV) Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-4, 3-4)
vs.
No. 9/9 Wisconsin Badgers (10-3, 4-2)
Friday, January 15 | 9 p.m. (ET)
The RAC | Piscataway, N.J.
TV: FS1 (Brian Custer, play-by-play; Jim Spanarkel, analyst)
Radio: Rutgers Sports Properties Radio Network (WCTC 1450 AM/WOR 710 AM/Sirius 136/ XM 195, Jerry Recco & Joe Boylan); WRSU 88.7 FM (Chris Tsakonas and Jake Schmeid)
Rutgers men's basketball will face No. 9 Wisconsin on Friday at The RAC in a primetime showdown on FS1. Tip-off is at 9 p.m., with Brian Custer and Jim Spanarkel on the call.
The Scarlet Knights enter the matchup at 7-4 overall. That includes three wins in Big Ten play (at Maryland, No. 20 Illinois and Purdue), as well as a victory over Syracuse in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. RU has won 24 of their past 27 games at The RAC.
Rutgers ranks among the top-20 in the nation in turnovers (14th, 10.2), blocked shots (16th, 5.1) and assist to turnover ratio (17th, 1.54). RU is second in the league in blocks and steals (8.3), with 91 total thefts topping the league. Individually,
Jacob Young leads the Big Ten in steals (2.36) and
Ron Harper Jr. paces the league in three-pointers (3.00) and is second in three-point percentage (45.5) and fourth in scoring (20.1).
Myles Johnson is second in blocks (2.09) and fifth in rebounding (8.5).
Jacob Young led RU with 19 points in their last game (Saturday versus Ohio State). Young has scored in double-digits in his last 10 contests. The team's leading scorer,
Ron Harper Jr., averages 20.1 points per game and has scored in double-figures in all 10 games he's played in this season.
The OSU game saw guard
Caleb McConnell post a season-high with 12 points on 4-9 shooting. McConnell is rounding into form after missing the first eight games of the season with a back injury to become a key contributor to the team's rotation. McConnell's return to game action has helped the team's depth after suffering a variety of injuries so far this season. Rutgers has not yet played a game with every scholarship player available due to injuries. Five scholarship players (
Geo Baker,
Mawot Mag,
Clifford Omoruyi,
Ron Harper Jr. and
Caleb McConnell) have combined to miss 19 games thus far this season. Rutgers has had multiple scholarship players unavailable due to injury in eight of the 11 games this season.
Wisconsin enters the game at 10-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play following a 77-54 loss to No. 9 Michigan on Tuesday night. The Badgers boast wins over three then-ranked teams in No. 12 Michigan State, No. 21 Minnesota and No. 23 Louisville. The reigning conference co-champions are second in the nation in turnovers (8.3), eighth in assist-turnover ratio (1.69) and ninth in three-point field-goal percentage.
D'Mitrik Trice leads the team at 15.2 points per game, and has upped his average to 19.3 points per game in conference play. Micah Potter (12.5 points per game is second in scoring and leads the team in rebounding (6.9) for an experienced Badgers squad that boasts a starting lineup with five seniors, including three in their fifth year of college basketball.
Series Record: Wisconsin leads 8-3
Last Meeting: Wisconsin 79, Rutgers 71 (Feb. 23, 2020)
Friday marks the 12th meeting in the all-time series dating back to 1949. The two teams split last season's series, with the Scarlet Knights claiming a 72-65 win at The RAC behind 22 points from
Geo Baker. Rutgers has won three games over the Badgers, all at The RAC since joining the Big Ten. A victory over Wisconsin would be the fourth win over the Badgers since RU joined the Big Ten. That would tie for the most wins over a Big Ten foe (also four vs. Penn State, Minnesota and Nebraska).
In 2015, Rutgers
downed No. 4 Wisconsin 67-62 for the highest-ranked victory in program history. Myles Mack scored 21 points and Kadeem Jack added 20 points to deal UW one of four losses during its national finalist campaign.
A victory over No. 9 Wisconsin would represent:
- Rutgers' second top-10 win under head coach Steve Pikiell.
- It would tie for the team's highest ranked win under head coach Steve Pikiell (defeated No. 9 Maryland on March 3, 2020).
- It would be the ninth ranked win under head coach Steve Pikiell and second ranked win of the season (previous: No. 13 Illinois).
- It would be the second time Rutgers' has defeated a top-10 Wisconsin team at The RAC (defeated No. 4 Wisconsin, 67-62, on Jan. 11, 2015).
- The fourth win over the Badgers since RU joined the Big Ten. That would tie for the most wins over a Big Ten foe (also four vs. Penn State, Minnesota and Nebraska).
- Rutgers would improve to 4-0 in home games at The RAC against Wisconsin since joining the league in 2014-15.
"We hit the reset button and got back to doing some things we've always done. This break gave us a chance to assess some things. Guys are getting healthier and we're figuring out the rotation. The guys have done a good job of focusing in on this game."
-
Steve Pikiell
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