Rutgers men's basketball closing out regular season against Wisconsin, Ohio State this week
The Rutgers men's basketball team is entering the final week of the regular season before the Big Ten Tournament begins on March 13. The Scarlet Knights (15-14, 7-11) currently sit in 12th place in the conference and are looking for wins over Wisconsin and Ohio State this week for a chance to jump into the top nine and receive a single-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament.
First up for Rutgers is a Thursday clash with the Badgers (18-11, 10-8) at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin comes in unranked and has lost 7 of its last 10 games. The Badgers were ranked as high as No. 6 this season and were No. 11 when they last faced off with the Knights and the latter dominated by 22 points.
With Wisconsin reeling as of late, Rutgers may have a solid opportunity for a road win in this matchup. The Knights' most recent win at the Kohl Center came just last year when they got a timely 58-57 late-season win. Pairing that win with this season's trouncing over the Badgers, Rutgers has won 3 of the last 4 matchups and two in a row. In the all-time series history, the Knights trail with six wins to Wisconsin's nine.
The next test for Rutgers will be at home against the Buckeyes (18-12, 8-11) on Sunday at Jersey Mike's Arena on Livingston campus. Ohio State recently fired former head coach Chris Holtmann and appointed Jake Diebler as interim head coach.
With Holtmann at the helm, the Buckeyes had lost 8 of their last 10 games before promptly letting Holtmann go. Since then, Diebler has led the team to a 4-1 record, including a triumphant victory over then-No. 2 ranked Purdue in Diebler's head coaching debut.
The Knights and Ohio State squared off once already this season, where the latter pulled off a 76-72 win at The Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. Rutgers got tremendous production via its backcourt in that game, with 23 points from sophomore guard Derek Simpson and 17 points from fifth-year guard Noah Fernandes.
Heading into the matchup this time around, Fernandes is no longer a typical starter, but he has played big minutes in his last two outings and has been a spark plug off the bench. He will look to continue his solid play. As for Simpson, he has remained a starter for the duration of the season since the first game against the Buckeyes but has struggled in his last four games, scoring just 10 points combined.
The duo put the team on their backs in the last outing against Ohio State, and the Knights will need offensive production from them.
Eyes will also be on freshman guard Gavin Griffiths this week. His playing time has been sporadic lately, but in the Rutgers loss last game against Nebraska, he played 21 minutes and scored 10 points.
Thursday's contest will tip off at 7 p.m. on Fox Sports 1. Sunday's regular-season finale will tip off at 2 p.m. on Big Ten Network. Both games can also be found on 88.7 WRSU FM.
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