FRONT-RUNNING BADGERS HIT THE BIG APPLE
Wisconsin travels to New York City to take on Rutgers as part of BTN's Super Saturday doubleheader. With a record of 17-3, the Badgers have equaled the school's third-best start in the 100 years.

Up next, the Badgers travel to Illinois on Jan. 31 for an 8 p.m. tip on Big Ten Network. UW has won 10 straight against Illinois.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WISCONSIN
MID-SEASON SURGE: Wisconsin has won 13 of the last 14 games and is out-scoring foes by 18.8 ppg (79.6 to 60.8) during that stretch. 
GARD IN CHARGE: Greg Gard and Wisconsin haven't missed a step since he took over a year ago. The 2016 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year, Gard is 32-11, the best start of any UW coach in 100 years.
ALL-AMERICAN TRIO?: Nigel Hayes and Ethan Happ were named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top-25 list. Along with Bronson Koenig, all three players are on national award watch lists.
BIG TEN BEASTS: The Badgers have boasted a winning conference record and finished among the top 4 in each of the last 16 seasons, the longest run of success of any team in B1G basketball history.
HAYES AT THE HUB: Senior Nigel Hayes has been at the center of Wisconsin's recent offensive attack, averaging 15.0 ppg, shooting 50.7% and averaging 6.8 FTAs during the last 14 games. Sixth on UW's scoring list, Hayes is the nation's only player with 1,500 pts, 600 rebs and 250 asts.
MAKING IT HAPP-EN: Sophomore Ethan Happ is doing it all for UW, averaging 13.7 ppg (15th in B1G), 9.2 rpg (3rd in B1G), .600 FG% (3rd in B1g), 1.9 spg (2nd in B1G) and is 2nd on the team with 2.9 apg. This week's Co-Big Ten Player of the Week, Happ had a dominant performance at Minnesota, becoming the first major conference player since 2003 with at least 25 pts, 10reb, 5 ast and 5 blk.
KINGS OF THE ROAD: Over the last four seasons, UW is 51-19 (.729) in road/neutral games, the fifth-best win percentage in college basksetball. Under Greg Gard, UW is 8-5 in true road games.
BADGER BALANCE: UW ranks among the top 20 in both offensive and defensive efficiency (KenPom), averaging 76.7 ppg on offense and leading the B1G in scoring defense (60.9 ppg).
OWNING THE GLASS: The Badgers are 5th in the nation with a +10.2 rebounding margin. UW also ranks 4th in the NCAA in defensive rebounding percentage (77.5%) and 14th in offensive rebounding percentage (37.2%).
KOENIG SIZZLING FROM DEEP: UW's leading scorer (14.6 ppg), Bronson Koenig is shooting 57.3% from 3-point range (23-for-40) during Big Ten play, averaging 3.3 triples per B1G game.
OWN THE PAINT: The Badgers are out-scoring opponents 696 to 448 in points in the paint. That's a +12.4 margin (34.8 to 22.4 ppg). UW has only been out-scored in the paint on three occasions.

HISTORY VS. RUTGERS
Saturday's game marks the seventh-ever meeting between Wisconsin and Rutgers in a series that began in 1949.
- The Badgers are 5-1 all-time against the Scarlet Knights, including a 72-52 win earlier this season.
- UW and RU have met once previously at a neutral setting, a 68-55 Wisconsin win in Iowa City, Iowa, in 1949.
- The Badgers are 2-1 against Rutgers since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten.

LAST TIME OUT
#15 Wisconsin 82, Penn State 55
Jan. 24, 2017  |  Kohl Center  |  Madison, Wis.

- The Badgers used a big second half to pull away from Penn State and record an 82-55 victory, their 18th-consecutive home win.
- Wisconsin won its 9th-consecutive game vs. Penn State. UW has won 18 consecutive home games against PSU (15-0 at the Kohl Center).
- UW led just 36-33 at the half but out-scored the Nittany Lions 46-22 after the break. PSU shot 52.2% in the 1st half and just 26.9% in the 2nd.
- Wisconsin went 21-for-29 (.724) at the free throw line, matching a season high for FTAs. The Badgers also limited Penn State to 10 points in the paint, matching the second-fewest by a UW opponent this season.
- Bronson Koenig led the Badgers with 20 points(4-9 3FGs), his 7th game with at least 20 points this season. He also dished out 3 assists.
- Vitto Brown scored a season-high 16 points (6-8 FGs) and 6 rebounds. Ethan Happ collected 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals.

THEY'RE ALL WATCHING
Wisconsin's roster features a trio of players on the Preseason All-Big Ten list with Nigel Hayes (Preseason Player of the Year), Bronson Koenig and Ethan Happ all earning distinction. That trio is also featured on numerous national award watch lists:

Hayes
- Naismith Player of the Year Award
- Wooden Player of the Year Award
- Lute Olsen National Player of the Year
- Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year

Koenig
- Naismith Player of the Year Award
- Wooden Player of the Year Award
- Lute Olsen National Player of the Year
- Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year

Happ
- Naismith Player of the Year Award
- Wooden Player of the Year Award
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year

2016-17 TEAM INFO
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/0
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 13/4

RETURNING FRONTCOURT STARTERS
- The Badgers welcome back 2016 first-team All-Big Ten selection Nigel Hayes, who averaged 15.7 ppg and 5.8 rpg while leading UW with 104 assists. The 2016-17 Blue Ribbon Magazine preseason National Player of the Year and preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, Hayes joins Michael Finley as the only Badgers to tally at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists by their junior season. If he just matches his junior year totals he would finish 3rd in school history in points (1,340 entering 2016-17), 7th in rebounds (557 entering 2016-17) and 7th in career assists (219 entering 2016-17).
- Sophomore Ethan Happ looks to build off his 2016 Big Ten Freshman of the Year campaign during which he averaged 12.4 ppg, ranked 6th in the Big Ten with 7.9 rpg and became the first freshman to lead the Big Ten in steals (63 steals) since OSU's Aaron Craft (2010). Happ became just the third NCAA freshman over the last 15 seasons to score 400 points, while recording 60 steals and 30 blocks (also Kevin Durant and DuJuan Blair).
- Senior Vitto Brown finished 4th on the team in scoring, averaing 9.7 ppg with 5.0 rpg. He enjoyed the third-largest scoring increase in the Big Ten a year ago, going from 1.8 ppg to 9.7 ppg in 2015-16. Brown did not attempt a 3-pointer in his first two seasons at UW, but led the team last year, shooting 40% (38-95) from deep.

RETURNING BACKCOURT STARTERS
- Third-team All-Big Ten junior Bronson Koenig returns as the team's lead guard after averaging 13.1 ppg and shooting 39.0% (83-213) from 3-point range. The moniker "Klutch Koenig" was born in 2015-16 after his game-winning shots against VCU and Xavier. In fact, over the final 5:00 and overtime of games last season, Koenig shot 54.8% (17-for-31) from 3-point range. Koenig needs just 71 points and 27 assists to become the 14th player in UW history with at least 1,000 points and 250 assists.
- Senior guard Zak Showalter made just four 3-pointers in his first two seasons, but knocked down 35 percent (37-107) from long range as a junior. Showalter averaged 7.5 ppg and 3.8 rpg while ranking third on UW with 36 steals.
- The Badgers also return key reserves Jordan Hill (junior guard - 15.6 mpg), Khalil Iverson (soph. guard - 13.0 mpg), Alex Illikainen (soph. forward - 9.8 mpg) and Charles Thomas, IV (soph. forward - 9.1 mpg). Wisconsin will also regain the services of redshirt freshman guard Brevin Pritzl, who missed all but one game of his freshman year with a foot injury and sophomore forward Andy Van Vliet, who was forced to sit out the 2015-16 season after the NCAA ruled him ineligible for not enrolling in college within a year of high school graduation. 
- Wisconsin will also welcome a three-man freshman class that features guard D'Mitrik Trice (6-0, Huber Heights, Ohio), forward Aleem Ford (6-8, Lawrenceville, Ga.) and walk-on guard Michael Ballard (6-4, Oak Park, Ill.)