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Michigan State Basketball: 3 bold predictions vs. No. 16 Rutgers

By Connor Muldowney

Dec 8, 2019; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Aaron Henry (11) brings the ball up court against Rutgers Scarlet Knights forward Akwasi Yeboah (1) during the second half of a game at the Breslin Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 8, 2019; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Aaron Henry (11) brings the ball up court against Rutgers Scarlet Knights forward Akwasi Yeboah (1) during the second half of a game at the Breslin Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Fresh off its first Big Ten win, Michigan State basketball is looking to add a ranked victory to its resume against Rutgers on Tuesday night.

Michigan State desperately needs some momentum. It got a bit over the weekend with a seven-point win at Nebraska, but it wasn’t enough to make fans comfortable with the direction of the season.

Everyone is doubting the Spartans right now after a three-game losing streak which saw them drop double-digit road losses at Northwestern and Minnesota and lose to Wisconsin at home after leading by nine in the second half. Things haven’t looked good lately, but fans are used to these mini slumps every season before the ship rights itself.

Rutgers comes to town on Tuesday night looking for a battle and the Spartans need to be ready because Ron Harper Jr. and Co. can score in bunches.

Let’s get bold ahead of Tuesday night’s showdown in East Lansing.

3. AJ Hoggard approaches 10 assists

Getting his second straight start on Tuesday, AJ Hoggard is going to have his best game of the season, potentially kickstarting his MSU career at point guard.

Hoggard just had five assists in his first start against Nebraska and he’s going to just about double that against Rutgers. It’s going to be a much tougher matchup but he’s going to find his legs early on and work his magic on offense even without scoring a ton of points.

What has impressed me the most about Hoggard is his calm demeanor even in the more pressure-packed situations. In his first start, he didn’t look rattled at all, he was calm and made plays from the opening tip to the final buzzer. He finished with four points (all in the second half), five assists and two blocks.

I think he’ll score a little more with eight points and nine assists to go along with a steal or two against the Scarlet Knights.

Folks, MSU has found its PG1.

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