MBB Travels to No. 12/11 MSU
Jan 29 | Men's Basketball
| Rutgers at No. 12/11 Michigan State | |
| Date | Sunday, January 31 |
| Time | 5:15 p.m. ET |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. | Breslin Center |
| Television | Big Ten Network |
| Radio | Rutgers IMG Radio Network - WOR (710) and WCTC (1450AM) WRSU (88.7 FM) |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Michigan State |
| Live Stats | |
| Team Info | Online Media Guide |
| Statistics | Rutgers | Michigan State | Big Ten Conference |
| Social Media | @RutgersMBB  | #RHoops | Facebook/RutgersMBB  |
Rutgers Game Notes
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers (6-15, 0-8) meets its third nationally-ranked team in four games, when it travels to East Lansing to meet Michigan State (18-4, 5-4) in a 5:15 p.m. tip-off at the 14,759-seat Breslin Center on Sunday. The Spartans, who were ranked No. 1 for four consecutive weeks this season, are currently No. 12 in the AP and No. 11 in the coaches polls. The Scarlet Knights will be working to return to the win column and earn their first B1G road victory. RU's last win over a nationally-ranked foe was a 67-62 home decision over No. 4 Wisconsin last January. Rutgers' most recent road victory over a ranked opponent was a 77-64 win at No. 13 Pittsburgh on Jan. 26, 2008.
The game will be televised live on BTN with Josh Lewin calling the action and Jon Crispin providing the analysis. On the radio, the contest will be broadcast live on the Rutgers IMG Sports Network, WOR 710 AM in New York & WCTC 1450 AM in New Brunswick. Chris Carlin will serve as play-by-play announcer and Joe Boylan will provide commentary. WRSU (88.7 FM) will also broadcast the game.
The game will mark the third meeting on the collegiate hardwood between RU and MSU, with the Spartans winning the prior two match-ups. Last season, Rutgers dropped a 71-51 decision to Michigan State at the RAC. MSU utilized a 43-28 rebounding advantage and shot 51 percent (27-for-53) to earn the win. RU struggled to find it shot, depositing 29.1 percent (16-of-55) of its field goal attempts. The Spartans captured the initial meeting, 81-71, on Dec. 19, 1970 at the Lobo Classic in Albuquerque, N.M.
Sophomore Mike Williams scored 17 and freshman Corey Sanders totaled 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals, but Rutgers dropped a hard-fought 68-57 decision at Michigan on Wednesday night. The contest was back-and-forth battle throughout, with RU unable to answer the Wolverines' effectiveness from behind the arc. Playing once again without three injured frontcourt players, Rutgers won the battle on the boards 30-29 and outscored Michigan 26-18 in the paint. The Scarlet Knights shot 44 percent, compared to 40.8 percent for the home squad. The Wolverines made 11 three-pointers.
Sanders leads the Big Ten in steals (1.65), while also leading all conference freshmen in scoring (14.1) and assists (3.4).
Michigan State, under the leadership of 21st-year head coach Tom Izzo, made a season-high 16 three-pointers (16-of-26) in a 76-45 victory at Northwestern on Thursday night. Denzel Valentine made five of those triples en route to 19 points. The Spartans shot 50.9 percent (28-of-55) and out-rebounded the Wildcats 42-33. MSU ranks among the top five nationally in multiple statistical categories, including second in field goal percentage defense (36.7), rebound margin (11.9) and assists (20.0) and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.67). MSU has shot 50.0 percent or better from the field eight times this season.
