Fairleigh Dickinson @ Rutgers preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 14, 2016 ) Fairleigh Dickinson 69, Rutgers 82

Rutgers took advantage of its reprieve from Big Ten conference play to snap a three-game losing streak by defeating in-state foe New Jersey Tech on Thursday. The Scarlet Knights look to continue their Garden State dominance on Saturday, when they host Fairleigh Dickinson.

Rutgers rolled through a soft non-conference schedule, winning its first six games while hardly being challenged. The Scarlet Knights, however, slipped back to reality by suffering losses to Florida State and nationally ranked Minnesota and Michigan State. Rutgers entered play this week ranked second in the nation in scoring defense (56.9 points) and third in total rebounds (46). The Scarlet Knights have beaten Fairleigh Dickinson three straight times and own a 12-2 advantage in the all-time series.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network Plus

ABOUT FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (3-5): The Knights have lost three straight and are 0-4 away from home, including an 82-75 setback at Iona in their last outing. Noah Morgan scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against the Gaels while Kaleb Bishop added 14 points. After missing the first two games of the season, Darian Anderson - a 6-1 senior guard - has returned to the lineup and leads the squad in scoring with an average of 13.8 points.

ABOUT RUTGERS (7-3): Corey Sanders, who was bottled up by the tenacious defenses of Minnesota and Michigan State, scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Scarlet Knights over NJIT 73-64 on Thursday. Sanders, who leads the team in scoring at 12.5 points, only could muster a total of 16 in the back-to-back conference losses. Deshawn Freeman (11.7 points) fared much better against the Big Ten powers, combining for 23 points and 21 rebounds, and scored 13 last time out against the Highlanders.

TIP-INS

1. All 14 games in the series have been played at Rutgers.

2. Saturday's game is the first of five straight non-conference contests before the Scarlet Knights dive back into Big Ten play.

3. Rutgers and Illinois were the only conference teams to go winless in the first two games of Big Ten action.

PREDICTION: Rutgers 75, Fairleigh Dickinson 58