GAME NOTES: Battling for the Barclays Center Classic title, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and eighth-ranked Virginia Cavaliers will square off Saturday at the Barclays Center to determine a tournament champion.

Rutgers was coming off a loss to Saint Peter's when the team arrived at the Barclays Center Friday. But the Scarlet Knights hung on down the stretch to beat Vanderbilt, 68-65, for the team's third win of the season.

Virginia used its stifling defense to make it past La Salle in the first round of the tournament, 64-56. The Cavaliers come into this game against Rutgers sporting a perfect 6-0 record.

The two programs have met three times on the court in their series history, with all three of those decisions going to Virginia. The most recent clash was played during the 2003 campaign.

Rutgers didn't shoot the ball all that well in the team's win over Vanderbilt Friday night, but it didn't matter as long as the Scarlet Knights could hang with their opponent until the last minute of play. With 42 seconds remaining, Kadeem Jack hit a layup to break a 65-65 tie, and Myles Mack later sealed things away with a free throw. Mack scored 21 points to lead Rutgers, while Jack chipped in with 20 points and eight rebounds in the contest. Mike Williams contributed 11 points off the bench, and big man Junior Etou netted 10 points with five boards for Rutgers.

It's been the Mack and Jack attack for Rutgers this season, as was the case last year as well. The two players are the only two Scarlet Knights averaging a scoring total in double figures, with Mack leading the way at 16.4 ppg, followed by Jack's 14.3 ppg. Etou, who leads the team in rebounding at 8.4 boards per outing, is right on the cusp of reaching a double-digit point average at 9.8 ppg. The Knights need to up their 61.6 ppg average as a unit if they want to be competitive against a tough Virginia defense.

Speaking of that Virginia defense, it was on display against La Salle Friday night. The Cavaliers held the Explorers to 40 percent shooting in the game, and forced La Salle into committing 13 turnovers as Virginia went on to win. Malcolm Brogdon netted 20 points to pace his Cavs, while Anthony Gill tallied a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Cavs shot an impressive 58.3 percent from the floor in the first half that allowed them to take a 37-19 advantage at halftime.

Virginia's offense has been on display this season too, along with the strong defense. The Cavaliers enter the game against Rutgers averaging 70.5 ppg while also allowing opponents to score just 46.5 ppg on 30.9 percent shooting from the floor. Justin Anderson leads the Cavs by netting 15.3 ppg, and is followed by Gill's 12.5 ppg average and Brogdon's 12.3 ppg mark. Mike Tobey tops Virginia in rebounding, grabbing 7.2 boards per game.

It's very simple in this contest: Rutgers doesn't have enough scoring, and Virginia won't let the Knights score anyway. Rutgers may have pulled a bit of a surprise against previously unbeaten Vanderbilt, but the Cavaliers won't be falling victim to the Knights here.