No. 15/14 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-2, 3-2)
at
No. 23 Michigan State Spartans (7-3, 1-3)
Tuesday, January 5 | 9 p.m. (ET)
Breslin Center | East Lansing, Mich.
TV: ESPN2 (Dave Fleming, play-by-play; Jay Bilas, analyst)
Radio: Rutgers Sports Properties Radio Network (WCTC 1450 AM/WOR 710 AM/Sirius 83/ XM 83, Jerry Recco & Joe Boylan); WRSU 88.7 FM (Chris Tsakonas and Brant Wolff)
No. 15/14 Rutgers heads back on the rugged road of the Big Ten, heading to East Lansing to take on No. 23 Michigan State at the Breslin Center. The game has a primetime tipoff of 9 p.m. on ESPN2. Dave Fleming and Jay Bilas will be on the call. This marks the Scarlet Knights' fourth ranked opponent over their last five contests.
The team has a quick turnaround from Saturday's showdown against No. 10/11 Iowa. The battle between top-15 teams went down to the final possession, but Rutgers' fell just short. In the back-and-forth game, RU got a balanced effort offensively, with each of its starters scoring at least 13 points. It was the first time in 11 years that all five Rutgers starters scored in double-figures (last time previously was Jan. 30, 2010 vs. Notre Dame). Rutgers had 19 assists in the contest, the most ever in a Big Ten game, along with 11 steals, the second most ever in a Big Ten game.
The Scarlet Knights saw two players return from injuries in that contest to aid the squad.
Ron Harper Jr., who had missed the victory over Purdue earlier in the week, returned to action against the Hawkeyes. Harper Jr. has averaged 22.1 points per game, which places him fourth in the conference. RU has not had a player average over 20 points per game since Quincy Douby in 2005-06 (who was sixth nationally at 25.4 ppg). Additionally,
Caleb McConnell made his season debut after recovering from a back injury. McConnell has been a key piece for Rutgers the past two seasons, averaging 6.0 points and 3.1 rebounds.
Jacob Young (17) and
Montez Mathis (13) each continued double-digit scoring streaks with their performances against Iowa. Young has scored in double-digits in seven straight games and ranks ninth in the league at 15.7 points per game. Mathis has scored in double-figures in eight of nine games, including a career-high outburst of 25 points on Tuesday against Purdue. He ranks 10th in the Big Ten at 15.3 points per game.
With that trio, the Scarlet Knights are the only team to boast three of the top 10 scorers in the Big Ten.
Jacob Young also ranks first in the league in steals (2.44) and third in assists (5.22), while
Myles Johnson ranks fifth in the league in rebounding (8.67 rpg). Rutgers is the only team with a player in the top-5 in each of those categories.
As a team, the Scarlet Knights rank in the top-25 nationally in blocks (13th, 5.4), assist-turnover ratio (16th, 1.53) and turnovers (24th, 10.9). Over the past five games since conference play started, RU has had no more than 10 turnovers. The team has combined that with strong shooting from distance, averaging 9.4 three-pointers per game in that span. Rutgers' 43.5 percent shooting from behind the arc is the league's best in conference games, while the turnover margin of +2.8 in that span also leads the league.
Michigan State enters the contest at 7-3 overall. A 6-0 start in nonconference play that included wins at Duke and over Notre Dame put them as high as No. 4 in the nation. But that was followed by a 1-3 start to league play.
The Spartans share the ball well, ranking sixth in the nation with 20.2 assists per game. A balanced squad individually sees Aaron Henry lead in points per game (13.4) while Marquette transfer Joey Hauser paces the team with 7.9 rebounds per game.
Tuesday marks the 11th meeting in the all-time series. Rutgers is looking for its first lifetime win. Michigan State is one of just two Big Ten schools that Rutgers is yet to defeat since joining the conference in 2014-15 (along with Michigan). This will be the sixth straight year RU is making the trip to East Lansing, as the squad has played a road game at the Breslin Center in every season that Steve Pikiell has been at the helm.
Series Record: Michigan State leads, 10-0
Last Meeting: No. 11/12 Michigan State 77, Rutgers 65 (Dec. 8, 2019)
A victory over Michigan State would represent:
- The first ever victory over the Spartans and first win at the Breslin Center
- The ninth ranked win under head coach
Steve Pikiell and second ranked win of the season (previous: No. 13 Illinois)
- The first road win for a ranked Rutgers team over a ranked foe since February 3, 1976, a win at No. 17 Princeton
