Through the first half of the 2024-25 season, Rutgers has its back firmly against the wall. The Scarlet Knights (8-7, 1-3) suffered a 75-63 loss to Wisconsin in Piscataway on Monday, marking their sixth defeat in their last nine contests.

In addition to the matchup of K-State's offense against Rutgers' defense favoring the Wildcats, the battle on the other side of the ball is also favorable for Klieman's squad. Kansas State ranks No. 17 nationally in defensive success rate and limits opponents to only 21.9 points a contest.

The Kansas State football team had bigger goals than a postseason game against Rutgers at the Rate Bowl, but that doesn’t mean Chris Klieman and the Wildcats are bummed out about playing this game at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday at Chase Field in Phoenix.

The No. 4 USC Trojans women’s basketball team and star JuJu Watkins will face the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 5 p.m. PT. The TV broadcast for the game is the Big Ten Network. Preview and Prediction for the matchup at Jersey Mike's Arena.