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Wisconsin Badgers highlight Big Ten Super Saturday at Madison Square Garden

By Trevor Jossart

Dec 27, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Bronson Koenig (24) takes the ball up the floor as Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Mike Williams (5) follows at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin defeated Rutgers 72-52. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Bronson Koenig (24) takes the ball up the floor as Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Mike Williams (5) follows at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin defeated Rutgers 72-52. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Wisconsin men’s basketball and hockey teams will compete in a Big Ten Super Saturday event in New York.

In the second annual Big Ten Super Saturday event at Madison Square Garden, the Wisconsin Badgers will be a part of a college basketball/college hockey double header.

Starting off the day at noon ET (11:00 am CT) will be the No. 15 Badgers in action on the basketball court as they take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. This game will technically be a road game for the Badgers and a home game for Rutgers, albeit a neutral court. New York City is just around 40 miles from Rutgers’ campus in New Brunswick.

The Scarlet Knights are currently 1-7 in the Big Ten, good for last place- but still hold a winning record at 12-9 thanks to a soft non-conference schedule that saw 11 wins. Rutgers and Wisconsin faced off in the conference opener in Madison, with the Badgers prevailing with a 20-point victory. In that game, Corey Sanders, Rutgers’ leading scorer was benched to start the game for missing practice earlier that week and did not enter until halfway through the first half.

Sanders finished the game with just four points on 1-11 shooting.

The Badgers will be looking to keep tabs with the Maryland Terrapins for first place in the competitive Big Ten conference. At 17-3, Wisconsin is off to their third-best start ever in the last 100 years.

The last time the Badgers played at Madison Square Garden was last season at the 2k Classic. Wisconsin went 1-1 in the event with their most recent game a 74-73 victory over VCU thanks to a Bronson Koenig game-winning basket as time winded down.

“We have a large number of fans and alumni in the New York area and this is a fantastic chance for them to see our teams compete,” Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez said back when he learned of the news. “The Big Ten has developed a number of innovative ways to expand the reach of the conference and this is another terrific example.”

Perhaps the most appealing part to the casual fan in this event is the second part of the double header when the Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey team plays the No. 8 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Badgers have been clicking on all cylinders lately in the tough Big Ten conference, coming off a weekend split against the highly ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, followed by a road victory in Columbus on Thursday over the Buckeyes.

The men’s hockey team has never played at Madison Square Garden.

Both games will be televised on the Big Ten Network. The hockey game will begin at 7:00 pm ET.

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