Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from win over Rutgers in Week 5

Michigan State basketball didn’t play its best game of the season against Rutgers, but still came away with a 10-point win.

Beating Rutgers didn’t seem like something that would be all that difficult to do, especially with the way Michigan State had played in the weeks leading up to the game. However, the second game in three days seemed to feature some fatigue by these Spartans.

Michigan State looked out of sorts early and needed a strong defensive effort to hold on to a 10-point win in Piscataway. The Spartans improved to 8-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play, but these are the games they need to win in order to take home the Big Ten title.

What did we learn from Michigan State’s win over Rutgers?

5. Boxing out has become an issue

Too many times against Rutgers, the Spartans were unable to box out effectively. It’s understandable that the Scarlet Knights put up a fight in the rebounding battle, tying the Spartans, 45-45, on the glass, but many of those offensive boards could have been avoided.

In fact, Rutgers finished with 20 offensive rebounds which is enough to make Tom Izzo sick to his stomach. He was furious when Michigan State allowed 25 offensive rebounds to a much more impressive Duke team a few weeks ago, I can’t imagine how angry he was with his team allowing 20 to Rutgers.

The Scarlet Knights ranked second in the country in rebounds per game heading into Tuesday’s contest and proved it was no fluke. Still, the Spartans fell asleep on the defensive end of the floor, continuously allowing the Scarlet Knights inside position.

Boxing out might be something these players learned in third grade, but it can’t be a forgotten art. The Spartans need to learn how to make it more of a priority.