Preview: Wisconsin looking for first road win against Rutgers
Wisconsin (5-4, 1-0) vs. Rutgers (6-3, 0-1)
Game: Wednesday, Dec. 11, at the Rutgers Athletic Center
Time: 6:00 p.m. CT
Watch: BTN (Brandon Gaudin and Stephen Bardo)
Streaming: FOXSports.com (if you have a cable subscription)
Listen: Badger Radio Network (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas)
Follow Online: The Badgers' Den
Twitter: @Badger_Blitz, @JakeKoco, @alow_33
Pre-game notes
Following three consecutive losses filled with offensive struggles, Wisconsin bounced back against Indiana at home in their Big Ten opener last Saturday. The Badgers will now look to carry that momentum over when they travel to New Jersey to take on Rutgers on Wednesday evening. Any venue away from the Kohl Center has spelled doom, though, for UW this year, as they are winless in four games away from Madison.
In order to get its first win away from home, Wisconsin will have to see improvement from players who were expected to take on expanded roles this year. The Badgers saw a step forward taken by Kobe King against Indiana when the redshirt sophomore recorded a team-high 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
It was not only his efficiency that was promising, but the way King's buckets came. The La Crosse, Wis., native scored in a variety of ways, including solid off-ball movement that opened him up for jumpers, a smooth one-dribble pull-up from just inside the arc, and exploding to the rim off the dribble.
If King and junior forward Nate Reuvers can continue to build upon their 44 combined points against the Hoosiers, Wisconsin's offensive struggles will certainly be lessened. Fans just have not seen that type of offensive firepower away from the Kohl Center this season.
For Rutgers, it has put together a solid 6-3 start and recently hung with preseason Big Ten favorite Michigan State on the road before ultimately losing by 12. The Scarlet Knights are led by the guard tandem of Ron Harper Jr. and Geo Baker, the former being the sophomore son of former NBA great and five-time NBA champion Ron Harper.
Like his father, Harper, Jr. also plays the guard position and currently leads Rutgers in scoring at 12.8 points per contest. Expect him to be matched up with either King or redshirt junior forward Aleem Ford. Baker can give Wisconsin problems in transition, although the speedy point guard still struggles with his outside shot.
Wisconsin leads the all-time series against Rutgers, 7-2. Head coach Greg Gard is 4-1 all-time against the Scarlet Knights.
| Pos. | Wisconsin | HT/WT | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
D'Mitrik Trice (Jr.) |
6-0, 184 |
8.3 |
4.8 |
3.3 |
|
G |
Brad Davison (Jr.) |
6-4, 206 |
10.0 |
4.0 |
1.7 |
|
G |
Kobe King (R-So.) |
6-4, 205 |
12.1 |
4.0 |
1.3 |
|
F |
Aleem Ford (R-Jr.) |
6-8, 217 |
10.4 |
5.0 |
1.1 |
|
F |
Nate Reuvers (Jr.) |
6-11, 235 |
15.4 |
5.2 |
0.7 |
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| Pos. | Rutgers | HT/WT | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Geo Baker (Jr.) |
6-4, 195 |
11.8 |
3.0 |
4.3 |
|
G |
Caleb McConnell (So.) |
6-7, 190 |
7.3 |
3.4 |
1.6 |
|
G |
Ron Harper Jr. (So.) |
6-6, 245 |
12.8 |
6.3 |
0.8 |
|
G |
Montez Mathis (So.) |
6-4, 205 |
8.2 |
3.1 |
1.0 |
|
C |
Myles Johnson (So.) |
6-10, 255 |
8.2 |
7.7 |
1.0 |
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