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Michigan State Basketball: Big Ten opener vs. Rutgers can right ship

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - DECEMBER 03: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans talks to Marcus Bingham Jr. #30 while playing the Duke Blue Devils at the Breslin Center on December 03, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. Duke won the game 87-75. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - DECEMBER 03: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans talks to Marcus Bingham Jr. #30 while playing the Duke Blue Devils at the Breslin Center on December 03, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. Duke won the game 87-75. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State basketball’s Big Ten opener vs. Rutgers is a chance for the Spartans to right the ship. Will the Spartans get the job done?

Losing to Duke is something that wasn’t even considered before the season began. Hosting the Blue Devils in the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge was a prime opportunity for the Spartans to take down a lesser Duke team and improve a tournament resume early in the season.

However, the Blue Devils played like a team possessed. They jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The Spartans made a push early in the second half, but couldn’t pull any closer than eight points.

Michigan State dropped its third game of the season and now heads into a Big Ten opener against Rutgers with a sense of urgency. The Scarlet Knights have yet to really be challenged this season, but they are 6-2 and they beat Stephen F. Austin — the team that upset Duke at Cameron Indoor last week.

The Scarlet Knights are led by sophomore Ron Harper Jr. and senior Geo Baker but they shoot just 27 percent from 3-point range as a team — that’s music to Michigan State’s ears.

The Spartans will be down Rocket Watts for this one as he suffered a stress reaction and may even miss another game on top of Sunday’s Big Ten battle.

Here’s how you can watch Sunday’s Big Ten opener:

Date: Sunday, Dec. 8
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Venue: Breslin Center
TV: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go

Keys to Victory

Rutgers is a team that doesn’t make many 3-pointers, but that’s still an area of concern for the Spartans. They have struggled to defend the perimeter this season, and it’ll be even tougher with Watts sidelined. But if Michigan State can lock down the perimeter and force the Scarlet Knights to try and bang down low where the Spartans have depth, it’ll be a long night for Rutgers.

Offensively, getting other guys going not named Cassius Winston will be imperative. He can’t carry the team game in and game out or he’ll get worn out by the end of the season again. Get the ball into the post to Xavier Tillman or have Aaron Henry handle the ball and take it to the rack for an easy bucket. Any way you can, take some pressure off Winston and maybe get him involved in off-ball situations so he can get open for shots without having to create his own.

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Preview

This is a chance for Michigan State to get back on track and you can bet Tom Izzo has gotten his guys in the war drill all week at practice, so expect to see a more motivated squad. Playing to potential is something the Spartans have failed to do through one month, but we’ll see a more loose Michigan State team. The Spartans may struggle early, but they’ll catch fire near the end of the first half and pull away late.

Final Score: Rutgers 64, Michigan State 80

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