newjerseynewsroom.com

WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 20, 4 p.m., WHERE: Louis Brown Athletic Center — Piscataway, TV: SNY, RADIO: WOR 710 AM, WCTC 1450 AM

THE GAME: Rutgers (14-12, 4-9) will be preparing to win its sixth game in seven contests, when it welcomes Connecticut (15-11, 5-8) to the Louis Brown Athletic Center on Saturday (Feb. 20) for a 4:00 p.m. tip-off. The RAC and Gampel Pavilion in Storrs are separated by a 178-mile drive. The Scarlet Knights have an opportunity to win their fifth Big East Conference game in six tries, something that has not been accomplished "On the Banks" since the 2001-02 campaign. Rutgers is currently in 13th place in the league standing and would move past the Huskies into 12th position with a victory. UConn had lost five of six in the Big East before an 84-75 win at No. 3 Villanova on Big Monday.

RUTGERS NOTES: Rutgers overcame a 17-point deficit in a 68-64 victory on Tuesday evening at Allstate Arena. Senior center Hamady Ndiaye had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, as the Scarlet Knights out-rebounded DePaul by a 43-25 margin. Ndiaye, who was a perfect six-of-six from the field, was one of four Scarlet Knights to score in double figures. Freshman wing Dane Miller added 14 points, Mike Rosario posted 11 and Mike Coburn added 10. Jonathan Mitchell came up big defensively with 10 rebounds to aid a plus-18 differential on the boards, the largest for Rutgers in a Big East game under head coach Fred Hill.

Miller was named the Rookie of the Week for a second straight week and Mitchell was recognized on the Honor Roll by the Big East Conference on Monday. Among freshman in league games, Miller ranks first in scoring (12.6), tied for first in steals (1.38), second in rebounding (6.5), third in assists (2.92), and fifth in blocks (0.69). Mitchell leads Rutgers in scoring in conference games with a 14.2 average. He is shooting 44.6 percent (33-74) from behind the arc and 81.3 percent (13-16) from the free throw line in Big East games.

Ndiaye leads the Big East and is third nationally in blocks with an average of 4.65 rejections-per-game. As of Feb. 18, he had accumulated more blocks this season than 11 teams in the conference.

CONNECTICUT NOTES: Connecticut, under the leadership of 24th-year head coach Jim Calhoun, has been ranked as highly as No. 10 in both polls this season. The Huskies are averaging 8.27 blocks-per-game and are the lone BIG EAST team ahead of the Scarlet Knights in that category. UConn is first nationally in blocked shots and Rutgers is fifth. The Huskies are led in the scoring column by senior guard Jerome Dyson, who averages 18.7 points-per-game.

THE SERIES: Saturday afternoon's contest marks the 46th meeting between the Scarlet Knights and Huskies dating back to 1952, with UConn holding 32-13 advantage in victories. Rutgers is 9-14 all-time at home versus the Huskies and 1-15 in Big East regular season play. UConn has won eight straight in the series. The last Rutgers win was a 61-53 triumph over the No. 17-ranked Huskies at the RAC on Jan. 30, 2002.

SOURCE: RUTGERS