One factor
looks bound as Rutgers men’s basketball visits Wisconsin for the primary time
since 2003: The host won't take the Scarlet Knights gently. Not once the
Badgers fell 67-62 at the RAC last January.
So does
Rutgers (6-8) have a shot when the ball goes up at 2 p.m. Saturday on the Big
Ten Network? Here are three keys for the underdog:
1. Don’t get
rattled. Rutgers showed poise against Indiana Wednesday, rallying from a
double-digit deficit to take the lead before falling 79-72. But that was at
home. This is at the Kohl Center, one of the league’s great home courts, even
though Wisconsin is a shocking 6-4 there this season.
2. Make your threes, and not just Omari Grier.
Grier is on fire the last two games, but to win a game like this, streaky guard
Mike Williams (0-for-6 from the field vs. Indiana) and others have to convert
from the perimeter. With just two bigs, Rutgers’ best path to victory is hot
jump-shooting from multiple guys.
3. A big game from
D.J. Foreman. At 8-6 and roiled by a midseason coaching change, this is not a
vintage Wisconsin team. Still, the Badgers have a big-time player opposite
Foreman in 6-8 forward Nigel Hayes (16.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg). There are no
reinforcements, so Foreman needs to dial up a season-best effort on both ends.
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