Wisconsin Badgers
Rutgers
Five Things to Know: Wisconsin vs. Rutgers
February 08, 2024 | Men's Basketball
Badgers conclude two-game road trip
MADISON, Wis. — The No. 11 Wisconsin men's basketball team concludes its two-game road trip with a contest at Rutgers in Piscataway on Saturday. Tip is set for 11 a.m. (CT) on Big Ten Network.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW:
1. LAST TIME OUT
Wisconsin fell to Michigan, 72-68, in Ann Arbor on Thursday night. It was a back-and-forth affair between the two conference foes, but the Wolverines managed to come away with the win.
AJ Storr scored 20 points, logging his seventh 20-plus point performance on the season. The sophomore guard leads UW averaging 16.5 points per game this season. Chucky Hepburn had one of his best offensive performances of the season, scoring 17 points. Tyler Wahl finished with 12 points, four rebounds and three steals, while Max Klesmit scored 10 points.
2. SERIES HISTORY
Saturday marks the 16th-ever meeting between Wisconsin and Rutgers in a series that dates back to 1949. The Badgers are 10-5 all-time against the Scarlet Knights and 7-5 against Rutgers since they joined the Big Ten in 2014. Head coach Greg Gard has gone 6-4 against RU.
In the last meeting between the two, the Badgers suffered a 58-57 loss on Feb. 18, 2023. Max Klesmit was one of UW's top performers, scoring 11 points.
Saturday marks the first of two meetings between the two this season, as Rutgers is set to visit Madison on March 7.
3. SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The Scarlet Knights are 12-10 on the season and 4-7 in Big Ten play. However, when at home the team is 9-3. Rutgers is coming off a 56-53 win against Maryland in College Park on Tuesday.
Redshirt junior Jermiah Williams leads the way for the team, averaging 12.0 points and 5.5 rebounds. Aundre Hyatt is averaging 11.4 points and 5.0 rebounds, while Clifford Omoruyi is averaging 10.9 points and 8.9 rebounds.
4. CHUCKY COMMANDS THE COURT
As Greg Gard put it, "scoring is down, but winning
is up" for Chucky Hepburn who impacts the game
in so many ways and ranks among the Big Ten's
best in both assist-to-turnover ratio (3rd, 2.93 assist-to-turnover ratio) and steals (2nd, 2.0 steals per game). This season, he has nearly twice as many steals (46) as he does turnovers (29).
Hepburn played an important role on offense for the Badgers against Michigan. He was a constant threat on offense, dropping 17 points. He shot 6-for-11 from the field and went an impressive 2-for-3 from behind the arc.
5. QUALITY RESUME
As March Madness approaches, Wisconsin is building one of the nation's best resumes. Headlined by a daunting non-conference schedule, the Badgers have wins away from home, plus a successful start to Big Ten play.
Wisconsin is at #15 in the NET Rankings (through games Feb. 7), going 6-5 in Quad 1 games and 10-7 in Quad 1+2 contests. The Badgers are one of only three teams in the nation with double digit Quad 1+2 wins, joining Purdue (15) and UConn (13).
UW also has not lost a game outside of the first two quadrants.
