#9/8 MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS (5-2) at RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS (5-1)
Friday, Nov. 30, 2018 | 6 p.m. ET
The RAC (8,000) | Piscataway, N.J.

TV: BTN (Kevin Kugler, play-by-play; Jon Crispin, analyst)
Radio: Rutgers IMG Sports Network (WCTC 1450 AM/WOR 710 AM/Sirius 133/XM 196) (Jerry Recco & Joe Boylan) and WRSU 88.7 FM (Justin Sontupe & Matt Howe)

Series Record: Michigan State leads 7-0
Last Meeting: Michigan State 76, Rutgers 72 (Jan. 10, 2018 at the Breslin Center)

OPENING TIP: Rutgers hosts No. 9/8 Michigan State in its Big Ten opener Friday night. The game is sold out to the general public, the first November sell-out at the RAC since Princeton on Nov. 22, 1997. MSU is the second of three games over six days for RU against foes ranked or receiving votes, including two on the road. RU travels to No. 22/22 Wisconsin on Monday.

Rutgers will be working for its fourth straight win on the heels of a 57-54 road victory at Miami on Wednesday. Geo Baker led RU with 16 points, and had a key block in the closing seconds. The Scarlet Knights held Miami to their lowest point total since Feb. 13 of last season (50) against No. 1 Virginia. It marked RU's second win in the Big Ten / ACC Challenge (both on the road) and its first true road victory since downing Penn State 70-68 on Feb. 4, 2017.

RU has the opportunity to earn its first ranked victory since defeating No. 15 Seton Hall at the RAC last season and first win over a top 10 foe since downing No. 4 Wisconsin at home on Jan. 11, 2015.

THE SERIES: The contest signals the 8th meeting between the Scarlet Knights and Spartans dating back to 1970 with MSU holding a 7-0 advantage. After the initial meeting in 1970, the two teams have played six times in the past four years as Big Ten members. Under head coach Steve Pikiell, RU has had its closest two margins in the series last season. In the last meeting, RU pushed the No. 4 Spartans into overtime and established a 40-36 rebounding margin at the Breslin Center. In MSU's last trip to the RAC, Rutgers limited the visitors to 38.6% shooting in a 62-52 Spartans win.

THE OPPONENT: Michigan State is 5-2 after an 82-78 overtime loss at Louisville Tuesday which snapped a five-game winning streak that began with following a season-opening loss to No. 1 Kansas. The Spartans are led by Joshua Langford, who ranks third in the Big Ten with 18.0 points-per-game. Cassius Winston (17.3) and Nick Ward (13.9) join him as double-digit scorers. Kenny Goings is third in the league in rebounding (10.1). The Spartans lead the Big Ten in scoring offense (88.1) and assists (20.1), while placing 12th in scoring defense (69.0) and last in turnover margin (-2.7).

SCARLET KNIGHT NOTABLES

• Per KenPom.com analysis, Rutgers is among the nation's youngest teams with 1.18 years of experience to rank 311th nationally out of 353 D-I programs.
• Rutgers ranks 8th nationally in scoring defense (56.5), 10th in blocked shots (6.2) and 15th in FG% defense (36.9). RU is among the top five in the Big Ten in nine stat categories, including first in blocked shots (6.2) and fewest fouls (93).
• Seventeen of Rutgers' 30 regular season games (57%) are against opponents currently ranked or receiving votes in the polls. Five Big Ten programs that have won NCAA titles will compete in Piscataway, including five-time champion Indiana.
• Rutgers is ranked 49th by the NCAA's NET rankings and 103 by KenPom.com. RU's next two-opponents both rank in the top-20 in those two metrics (MSU: KenPom 11, NET 18; Wisconsin KenPom 13, NET 6).
• Eugene Omoruyi's 17 rebounds vs. BU marked the most for a Rutgers player since Adrian Hill grabbed 18 versus Notre Dame on March 3, 2007, a span of 12 seasons.
• Against Eastern Michigan, Rutgers allowed four points in the opening half to tie the NCAA Division I record for fewest points allowed in a half during the shot clock era (since 1985-86). The 36 points allowed also tied the school record, matching the defensive effort against Columbia (60-36) on Nov. 18, 2002 in the preseason NIT at the RAC.
• In the shot clock era, Rutgers has held an opponent under 40 points eight times. Steve Pikiell has been the head coach in four of those contests.
• Per KenPom.com analysis, Rutgers is among the nation's tallest teams with an average height of 79.1" to rank fifth behind UCLA (79.3"), Syracuse (79.3"), Stanford (79.2") and Siena (79.2").

COACHING COMPARISON

Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell
Overall Record (years)                     225-195 (14th)
Rutgers Record (years)                    35-38 (3rd)
Record vs. Michigan State (RU)       0-3
Record vs. Michigan State (overall)  0-3

Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo
Overall Record (years)                    584-228 (24th)
Michigan State Record (years)        584-228 (24th)
Record vs. RU (MSU)                      6-0
Record vs. RU (overall)                   6-0

QUOTABLE

Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell

On the quick turnaround: "We have one practice and an early tipoff. We're going to try and get them focused and get as much information into the team as possible. They're going to have to soak in the scouting report quickly to get ready for Michigan State."

On the home court environment: "Michigan State plays in front of environments like that all the time. We've got a lot of freshmen that are going to be playing in front of their first sellout. I like the vibe of this team. They like each other. They are attentive to game plans and do a good job communicating on the court. I think our guys will be excited about playing a ranked team in front of a great crowd. I'm hoping we come out ready and show some toughness like we did at Miami to win our first true road game. I know our Riot Squad and the students mean a lot to our guys. So having the place full and the enthusiasm, I know our guys will play better in front of that kind of crowd. So it will be another step for us and an exciting step."
On the impact of Issa Thiam and Shaq Doorson: "Shaq's been a huge factor with two straight double-digit rebound games. He's a presence for us defensively, the shots that he's blocking and altering. Issa is a guy that's blocking shots. He guarded DJ Vaslijevic, the leading three-point shooter in the ACC, and he only makes one three. A huge part of that is Issa's development as a defender. Shaq's been a good leader for us too. Everyone is so important, but those guys have been through it before. I hope we see their veteran presence against Michigan State. Issa's developed in every area. And now you're seeing a healthy Shaq, a rebounding Shaq, a presence that means so much to our team. Those guys truly are veterans for us."

On Geo Baker: "Geo's been really good. One of the most important things against Miami was the way he defended. He played an elite guard in Chris Lykes, the fifth-leading scorer in the ACC. Defensively he was just outstanding. He has to do a lot for us, leadership wise and offensively. Blocking shots and guarding guys, and he only had two fouls, that really shows how far he's coming. And we've got a good blend. He's a leader in that sophomore class, Eugene's a leader in the junior class, Shaq's become a voice for the senior class. So Geo's got a hard test next, Cassius Winston I think is the best point guard in our league. He's going to have to bounce back and face someone different, bigger and can shoot the three. Geo's prep has been outstanding. He's a huge key to us with his continued development."

Michigan State G Joshua Langford
On the game: "We have to learn from our last loss and also prepare well for Rutgers. They are a really good team this year, they've gotten off to a really good start. It's going to be a test playing away at their house. They are going to have home court advantage. So we'll have to learn how to bounce back."