Rutgers University
9-12,2-8Big Ten
Michigan State
19-2,9-1Big Ten
Men's Basketball Falls Short vs. No. 7 Michigan State
Jan 27 | Men's Basketball
Tariq Francis led RU with 23 points, one of five RU players to reach double-figure scoring. RU led 19-8 in points off turnovers, forcing 15 MSU miscues. The Spartans used a 38-22 advantage in the paint and outrebounded RU 45-22.
Rutgers pushed its first half lead to 21-13 with a good opening segment, using an 8-0 run to force a Tom Izzo timeout halfway through the first frame. Tariq Francis had all eight points in that run, including two triples to boost the offense.
Michigan State had nine turnovers in the first 16 minutes after having just seven all game last game against Maryland. RU pushed their lead into double digits, marking Michigan State's largest deficit in Big Ten play this year with the early tempo favoring Rutgers as the defensive held MSU to 6-of-18 (33%) shooting early on to take the 29-18 lead with Michigan State undergoing a near six-minute scoring drought.
Rutgers used a 17-0 margin on points off turnovers to keep the score in double-digits. Michigan State made just three shots in the final 8:44 of the half. At the break, RU led 37-28.
Coming out of halftime, Jamichael Davis hit a triple on the first RU offensive possession, extending RU's lead to the largest of the day at 12. The Spartans offense heated, making three straight, but RU kept pace. A 4-of-5 stretch from the field capped by a Harun Zrno triple kept RU ahead by 11. Rutgers made 7-of-13 to open the second stanza to keep the lead in double-digits at the halfway point, but Michigan State pushed back, starting to cut into the lead.
MSU cut the lead to 60-55 at the under-eight media timeout, making three straight shots, making it a 9-2 run, shooting 61% in the first 14 minutes of the second half. Harun Zrno answered with a triple out of the media timeout. With three minutes to play, it was a five-point game. MSU wouldn't relent, using a 7-2 run to make the score 67-64 RU with 1:52 to play after a Tom Izzo timeout, the first time it was a one-possession game since early in the first half.
After a Rutgers offensive foul, Jeremy Fears then converted a three-point play to tie the game at 67-67 with just over a minute to play, a 7-0 MSU run to tie the score.
Tariq Francis drained two free throws, then RU held on the defensive end. Jamichael Davis made one shot for a three-point lead.
Michigan State answered with a putback on an offensive rebound, cutting the lead again to one. RU tried to put the game away at the free throw line, but MSU hit a three-pointer with 11 seconds to play to tie the game late and sent it to overtime.
In overtime, Michigan State took the lead first on free throws for their first lead since the first half, then converted a three-point play for a five-point advantage halfway through. The Spartans outscored RU 15-6 in overtime to put the game away. The home team ran out of gas late, making just 2-of-10 shots in the extra session.
Postgame Notes
- Rutgers played its third overtime home game this month
- Rutgers was 21-of-42 shooting at 7:54 of second half and finished 25-of-62.
- Five different Scarlet Knights scored in double-figures for the first time all season.
- Only five RU players scored overall (Francis – 23, Zrno – 16, Davis – 15, Buchanan Jr. – 15, Grant – 11). Those five players shot 25-of-53 from the field (47%).
- The other five RU players to see game action shot 0-of-9 from the field.
- Only five RU players scored overall (Francis – 23, Zrno – 16, Davis – 15, Buchanan Jr. – 15, Grant – 11). Those five players shot 25-of-53 from the field (47%).
- Tariq Francis had his fifth 20+ point game of the season, finishing with 23 points.
- He has at least 15 points in nine of the past 10 games.
- Francis was 8-of-8 at the free throw line
- Francis tied his season-high with three steals
- Harun Zrno had his third game this season of four or more three-pointers
- Dylan Grant had his first game of double-digit scoring since January 2 vs. Ohio State
- Jamichael Davis had five assists, his most since December 2 against Purdue, and his most points (15) since scoring 21 vs. Notre Dame on November 25
- Darren Buchanan had 14 points, his fourth double-digit output in the past eight games
- Rutgers had five players play at least 32 minutes, led by 40 minutes played by Jamichael Davis
Rutgers vs. Michigan State Presser
Coach Pikiell's Opening Statement:
"Thanks for staying, I appreciate you guys being here. Obviously, it was a great college basketball game. We had a chance — the seventh-ranked team in the country, with the ball down the stretch — you couldn't ask for more from our guys. It was a huge bounce-back after we were not good against Indiana. They really changed their approach. We had two really good practices and our best shootaround today.
Giving Michigan State credit, they cracked us on the glass. He's got some guys who really go downhill. I thought we did a good job on Kohler, who's been a real problem for everybody. We got great minutes from our guys — just came up short. But I'm proud of our guys, proud of the crowd, proud of the effort. A heck of a bounce-back. I wasn't happy with our guys the other day, but if we can play like this and go on the road, it'll give us some confidence. Tough game, tough loss, but we had our opportunities."
Coach Pikiell on Using a Non-Traditional, Smaller Center:
"I thought those guys were the most effective. Darren Buchanan Jr. and Dylan Grant can guard any of those guys. I thought our speed down the stretch could help us. They turned the ball over a lot today, and that's not something they usually do. I think our quickness caused some issues for them. Our ball pressure was good. When we need it, those guys can score, and they're versatile, so we went with that group down the stretch. They were good for us."
Coach Pikiell on Considering Fouling Michigan State Late:
"At 17 seconds, there are a lot of things you can think about doing at that time. That's a lot of time on the clock, but I wanted to get a stop. We trust our defense. It didn't work that time, but we still got the ball back with a chance to win the game. There are a couple plays I'd like to go back over, including the one that ended the first half. I thought we had been stopping them and doing a decent job."
Coach Pikiell on Center Troubles:
"We turned them over a lot, so there weren't as many rebounding opportunities. I think the rebounding numbers would look drastically different if there were more chances. We haven't been a consistently great rebounding team, and you're playing a team with the number-one defense in the country. The foul trouble didn't help either — guys couldn't get on the floor much. Rebounding is a team thing. Our guards have to rebound, and our centers do too."
Coach Pikiell on Rutgers' Response from Friday to Tonight:
"We're young — we have seven freshmen and ten newcomers — so we're learning. You learn from games, and they know I wasn't happy after Indiana. We had good practices. Our shootaround today was by far one of the best this year. You hope they grow and learn that practices matter. Film watching and scouting reports matter. It's a long season, and sometimes guys lose focus on what needs to be done. I thought they did an unbelievable job tonight. They watched a lot of film the last couple of days, and we practiced extremely hard Saturday. You have to play hard against Michigan State — they're physical. I thought our guys responded, and I'm pleased. This team has resilience, and we just have to continue."
Coach Pikiell on What Broke Down in the Halfcourt Offense from the Second Half to Overtime:
"They got to the free-throw line, and we gave up a lot of points there. I thought we got some good looks, but we didn't finish some plays. We also left free throws on the table that we needed. It was all of those things. Michigan State is the number-one halfcourt defense in the country, so this isn't just another defensive team — they're really good. Down the stretch, they buckled down and did what they do."
Coach Pikiell on Harun Zrnos' Performance:
"Harun played terrifically tonight. He had great focus, and his last two practices were really good — two amazing practices leading up to today's game. He shot the ball with confidence, and we need that from him. He's an outside threat for us, and he's played exceptionally well both on the road and at home. We had five guys in double figures, and Dylan Grant and Darren Buchanan Jr. have been consistent for us. We got good efforts from everybody, and they deserved to win tonight."
Coach Pikiell on the Upcoming West Coast Trip:
"It's a long trip out there, and we're playing two good teams. We have to do a great job scouting. Playing the seventh-ranked team in the country like this can give us confidence. We've played minutes and halves as good as our first half today, which was as good as we've played."
Coach Pikiell on Why Rutgers Handles the Ball Better at Home:
"We emphasize turnovers as much as any team in the country. Every day in practice, the team runs at the end of practice for turnovers. We spend a lot of time on that and on rebounding. We've played games with six turnovers and others with 19. We have to be more consistent in all areas, which is something this team has struggled with."
