7:03 pm
December 11

Wisconsin @ Rutgers

Who will WIN this matchup?

Wisconsin Badgers (5-4)

@ Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-3)

 

Current odds:

Wisconsin Badgers: (+110)

Rutgers Scarlet Knights: (-130)

 

The line for this game is Rutgers by 1.5 points.

Wisconsin goes on the road with a chance for a 2-0 start to the Big Ten season well within its sights when it squares off against Rutgers on Wednesday. In early December, Big Ten teams play two conference games and Rutgers will be trying to avoid falling to 0-2. When Big Ten play picks back up in earnest next month, Wisconsin would love to be sitting on top of the standings in what appears to be a deep conference. The Badgers bounced back from a 69-54 thumping against North Carolina State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge with an impressive 84-64 victory over Indiana on Saturday that ended a three-game losing streak – all away from home. Sophomore guard Kobe King helped Wisconsin hand Indiana its first loss of the season with a career-high 24 points.

Rutgers stumbled out of the gate in the Big Ten with a 77-65 loss to No. 15 Michigan State on Sunday that followed a 71-60 loss to Pittsburgh last week in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Nate Reuvers, a 6-foot-11 center, is off to a strong start, averaging a team-leading 15.4 points and 5.2 rebounds. King’s offensive production against Indiana boosted his scoring average to 12.1 points, and Aleem Ford (10.4) and Brad Davison (10) also average in double figures. Wisconsin hadn’t shot the ball particularly well before beating Indiana and hitting 53.6 percent from the field, but their percentages remain rather low (43.2 percent from the floor, 30.7 percent on 3-pointers.)

The Scarlet Knights showed promise while beginning the season 6-1 before dropping their last two games on the road. Sophomore guard Ron Harper averages 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds to lead Rutgers. Bench production could be a factor for Rutgers against Wisconsin after getting season highs of 17 points from Akwasi Yeboah and 12 from Jacob Young as the Scarlet Knights’ reserves outscored Michigan State’s subs 37-12 on Sunday.

Reuvers has blocked 23 shots this season to boost his career total to 109, seventh on Wisconsin’s career list.

Wisconsin’s 84 points against Indiana moved the Badgers from last to next-to-last in the Big Ten in scoring offense (68.4 points per game), but they averaged 54.8 points in their four losses.

Rutgers is 2-7 against Wisconsin since joining the Big Ten but 2-0 at home, including a 64-60 victory Jan. 5, 2018 in the Badgers’ last visit to Piscataway, N.J.

4/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Wisconsin Badgers