The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-15) are currently on an eight-game losing streak and will compete against the No. 12-ranked Michigan State Spartans (18-4) at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. The game starts at 5:15 pm ET on Sunday, Jan. 31 and will air on BTN.
The Spartans easily got past Northwestern 76-45 on Thursday. Denzel Valentine led all scorers on the team with 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 68-57 loss at the hands of Michigan on Wednesday. Corey Sanders played well for Rutgers, recording 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
The high-octane offense of Michigan State (14th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 117.1) will square off against the porous defense of Rutgers (314th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 110.1), a matchup that should favor the Spartans. Furthermore, the 321st-ranked offense of the Scarlet Knights (offensive efficiency of 95.4) will face a tough test against the 14th-ranked defense of the Spartans (defensive efficiency of 93.4).
Michigan State is a heavy 27-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 145 points. The Spartans enter the game with records of 18-4 Straight Up (SU) and 12-9 Against The Spread (ATS). Michigan State has consistently been near the top of the nation in terms of field goal percentage, currently ranking 30th in the nation with a FG% of .478. Michigan State has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where it racks up an average of 42.5 rebounds per game. The Spartans, sporting the fourth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.67), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. Transitioning to the Michigan State defense, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Spartans, who allow only 62.5 points per game. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Spartans, who allow a field goal percentage of only .367. An area where the Spartans are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 5.4 blocks per game, 23rd in Division I.
Across the court, Rutgers has a SU record of 6-15 and an ATS record of 8-8.
This is the first meeting of the season for Michigan State and Rutgers. The last time they played, Michigan State came out on top, bringing its SU record to 1-0 over the Scarlet Knights. Additionally, with a 1-0 record, Michigan State has the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – MSU, ATS Winner – MSU, O/U – Under
Notes
Michigan State is 18-4 SU in its last 22 games.
Michigan State is 15-2 SU in its last 17 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Michigan State’s last 7 games at home.
Michigan State averages 78.2 points per game (ranked 73rd). Rutgers, on the other hand, allows 77.5 points per game (ranked 299th).
Rutgers scores just 58.8 points per away game (ranked 335th). Michigan State ranks 17th in points allowed at home, giving up 59.1 points.
Ranked 14th, the Michigan State Spartans have an offensive rating of 117.1. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights rank 314th with a defensive rating of just 110.1.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights average 70.6 possessions per game and .954 points per possession. The Michigan State Spartans earn fewer possessions with 66.8, but they score more points with 1.171.
Rutgers has an average effective field goal percentage of 46.2%. Michigan State is an even 4-4 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Michigan State Spartans rank second in assists per game with an average of 20.0. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are among the worst in the country with 11.4 assists per game (ranked 308th).
The Michigan State Spartans average 5.4 blocks per game, the 23rd-ranked team in the country. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights rank a lowly 162nd in blocking with just 3.5 per game.
Michigan State ranks 78th in offensive rebounding. Rutgers ranks 205th in defensive rebounding.
Rutgers makes an average of 6.0 steals per game. Michigan State has an exceptional 13-3 record when it allows at least 5 steals.
