[media-credit name=’Derek Montgomery’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]After a statement victory over No. 12 Maryland, the UW men’s basketball team (3-1) will ride a wave of confidence into New Brunswick, N.J., to challenge the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers (2-1) Saturday. Rutgers, on the other hand, looks to turn things around after recording its first loss of the season at home Wednesday night against Penn State.

For the second straight game, the Badger backcourt will have its hands full. After shutting down Maryland’s John Gilchrist, one of the top point guards in the nation, Kammron Taylor, Sharif Chambliss and company will try to cool off red hot sophomore Quincy Douby. Douby, who led all Big East freshmen in scoring last year, has not been held under 20 points all season.

In addition, the Badger defense will have to contain senior guard Ricky Shields, who is No. 16 on Rutgers’ all-time scoring list. Shields, one of the team’s co-captains, dropped 21 points on Penn State Wednesday.

Freshman Ollie Bailey, though not a big factor in the Penn State game, could challenge Wisconsin’s big men down low. The 6-foot-7 forward was named Big East Rookie of the Week Monday after scoring 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the Scarlet Knights’ home opener against St. Mary’s. Bailey is an active and aggressive player, much like Pepperdine’s Glen McGowan, who scored 29 in Wisconsin’s loss last Saturday.

Despite a potent offense averaging 74 points per contest, Rutgers may have a hard time running with the Badgers. While Bo Ryan’s squad can go 10 players deep, the Scarlet Knights have only three notable reserves. Those that may make an impact off the bench for Rutgers include senior guard and co-captain Juel Wiggan and 6-foot-11 freshman Dan Waterstradt.

Waterstradt is one of only two non-starters over 6-foot-3 in the Scarlet Knight’s rotation. This should allow the likes of Mike Wilkinson, Zach Morley and Brian Butch to work on the low block, especially if either of Rutgers’ starting big men gets into foul trouble.

Rutgers must also try to come up with an answer for Alando Tucker. Tucker will attempt to follow up a career night in which he poured in 27 on a very talented Maryland team. He creates an interesting matchup problem that will be a difficult task for every opponent this year. While listed at only 6-foot-5, Tucker plays much longer than that and he is as proficient at backing defenders down as he is at taking them off the dribble.

Last year the Badgers beat the Scarlet Knights handily 55-43 in their meeting at the Kohl Center. This year the Scarlet Knights’ home court, the Louis Brown Athletic Center, could play the role of the X-factor. The Rutgers Athletic Center, or simply The RAC to Scarlet Knight fans, has been voted the second loudest college arena in the country. According to a recent cbssportsbeat.com poll, it ranks ahead of Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse and even Cameron Indoor Stadium, home of the Duke Blue Devils.

In addition, the Badgers have historically struggled on the road. Though Wisconsin finished last season undefeated at home, Ryan’s squad posted a lackluster 5-6 record away from the friendly confines. As Maryland found out Tuesday, it is vastly more difficult to run an offense and get defensive stops in a hostile environment. If the Badgers can play through the noise in the RAC, they should be able to hand Rutgers their second-straight home loss.