EAST LANSING— No. 8 Michigan State men’s basketball will be taking on Rutgers in the Big Apple at Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans are one of two teams that have been undefeated since Thanksgiving. They are on an 11-game winning streak and are 7-0 in conference play.
As of late MSU took down now-No. 17 Illinois on Jan. 19, 80-78, to continue to defend home court. The Spartans finished with three players in double-digits being led by junior guard Tre Holloman who finished with 17 points.
The Fighting Illini didn’t make it easy for the Spartans this past Sunday, pushing them all the way until the final seconds of play. MSU finished the game against Illinois shooting 43.1% from the field, 30% from behind the arc and 77.8% from the free throw line. The Illini shot 42.4% from the field, 20.8% from behind the arc and 63% from the free throw line in comparison.
The Spartans are shooting 47.5% from the field, 28.8% from behind the arc and 81.3% from the free throw line on the season. They are also averaging 40.7 rebounds per game, 18.3 assists per game, 12 turnovers per game, 5.8 steals per game and 5.1 blocks per game.
The Spartans and the Scarlet Knights met in New York before on Feb. 4, 2023, where Rutgers topped MSU 61-55. MSU leads the all-time series with Rutgers 12-3. Last season, the Spartans and the Scarlet Knights only met once and MSU took down Rutgers 73-55 on Jan. 14, 2024, at the Breslin Center.
Scouting Rutgers
Rutgers is 10-9 overall and 3-5 in Big Ten play. The Scarlet Knights lost to Penn State on Jan. 20, 80-72, after going on a two-game winning streak over UCLA on Jan. 13 and Nebraska on Jan. 16.
In State College, Pennsylvania, Rutgers was led by freshman guard Ace Bailey with 30 points and freshman center Lathan Sommerville with 12 points. The Nittany Lions had the Scarlet Knights beat in three-point shooting with a 47.6% shooting percentage and free throws with an 81.5% shooting percentage.
Offensively the Scarlet Knights are shooting 45.5% from the field, 33.1% from behind the arc and 69.5% from the free throw line. They are also averaging 13.3 assists per game and 11 turnovers per game. Defensively, Rutgers averages 36.9 rebounds per game, 6.5 steals per game and 3.9 blocks per game.
Bailey and freshman guard Dylan Harper are each averaging over 19 points per game. Bailey also leads the team in rebounds with 7.9 per game, blocks with 1.4 blocks per game and overall made field goals this season.
MSU and Rutgers will go head-to-head on Saturday with tip-off set for 1:30 p.m. Tune into the live radio broadcast featuring Matt Merrifield and Allie Cohen locally on 88.9 FM or at impact89fm.org/listen-live/.
