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Michigan State Basketball: Can Spartans bounce back vs. Rutgers?

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 10: Nick Ward #44 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts to a call during a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Breslin Center on January 10, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 10: Nick Ward #44 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts to a call during a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Breslin Center on January 10, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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Following a tough loss to Louisville on the road, can Michigan State basketball bounce back against Rutgers to open Big Ten play with a win?

The football team didn’t have a ton of luck against Rutgers to close out the 2018 regular season, but the basketball team is hoping for better fortunes. Going to Piscataway isn’t going to be easy, especially since Michigan State is fresh off its second loss of the season — on the road against Louisville in overtime.

Must Read: Report card for MSU basketball’s loss at Louisville

Bouncing back is critical if Michigan State wants to stay afloat in the national conversation as a top-10 or top-15 team, but it’s also important to start Big Ten play with a 1-0 record. Getting behind early on in conference play is worst-case scenario.

Rutgers may not have been a preseason pick to contend in the conference, but the Scarlet Knights picked up a huge win over Miami in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and have been playing stingy defense.

Michigan State has the talent and depth to win a game like this away from home but it needs to get off to a quick start. Sluggish starts have nearly cost the Spartans a win against Texas and did lead to losses at Louisville and against Kansas.

Here’s how you can watch Friday night’s game:

Date: Friday, Nov. 30
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Location: Piscataway, N.J.
Venue: Rutgers Athletic Center
TV: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: BTN2Go or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Getting Nick Ward the ball deep in the post and allowing him to go at Rutgers in one-on-one situations will be important. While making threes is always a good key, the Spartans couldn’t get the offense rolling against Louisville because Ward wasn’t touching it enough or getting up as many shots as he should have. Also, getting Josh Langford back on track is imperative.

The defensive key is the easiest. Shut down the perimeter and the rest should take care of itself. Michigan State knows that the biggest weakness on the defensive end this season has been perimeter defense and it must get better in that regard against a Rutgers team that makes 38 percent of its shots from distance and isn’t afraid to shoot it. Hopefully Matt McQuaid is back, because the Spartans will need him.

Players to Watch

Rutgers is coming off a huge win on the road against Miami where the Scarlet Knights held the Hurricanes to just 54 points. The Scarlet Knights’ defense has held five of its six opponents to under 70 points and four to under 60. Here’s who you should be keeping an eye on.

  • Geo Baker: 15.3 points, 5.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 47% FG, 47% 3-point
  • Eugene Omoruyi: 15.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 49% FG, 53% 3-point
  • Issa Thiam: 9.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 42% 3-point
  • Peter Kiss: 9.7 points, 44% FG, 42% 3-point

Next. MSU basketball: 5 takeaways from Louisville loss. dark

Prediction

Beating a Rutgers team that just downed Miami on the road won’t be easy, but the Spartans aren’t going to let the Louisville defeat spark a losing streak. Cassius Winston and Josh Langford are going to bounce back after their worst games of the year and the defense will step up. It’s not going to be easy to find open shots on this Rutgers team which plays great defense. Nick Ward, too, will have a strong showing as Kyle Ahrens comes off the bench to score 10.

Final Score: Michigan State 70, Rutgers 65

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