Michigan State Basketball: Staff score predictions for big Rutgers matchup

Michigan State basketball will travel to Rutgers for a big Thursday night road game. What does our staff see happening at the RAC?

The last time Michigan State and Rutgers met, the Spartans picked up their biggest Big Ten win of the season and gained some momentum with a second straight win.

Now? The Spartans are fresh off a two-week hiatus and are desperate for some sort of traction. This game could get the Spartans going again, but they’ll be without Joshua Langford and Gabe Brown who both tested positive for COVID-19.

What does our staff think of the big road game?

Connor Muldowney: I’m honestly not sure of what to expect and that’s a scary thought. Either Michigan State is going to come out of this hiatus on fire and torch the college basketball world or the Spartans are just going to continue their downslide. Hope is obviously for the former and I think we’ll see a more motivated MSU team with Rocket Watts having one of the best games of his career to help lead the Spartans to a crucial road win.

Final Score: Michigan State 73, Rutgers 69

Jack Williams: I haven’t watched MSU play basketball in a while, and as a result, I have become completely delusional once again. For some reason, I think the Spartans will have their best game of the year against Rutgers with multiple 20 point scorers on the stat sheet.

Final Score: Michigan State 86, Rutgers 64

Carter Landis: The time off was exactly what Michigan State needed, and they’ll come out with a fire we haven’t seen since the Duke game. Rutgers has been on a slide since the first MSU game, and expect it to continue with a blowout.

Final Score: Michigan State 74, Rutgers 57

Conner Linsner: Michigan State comes into a game where they have been on a long hiatus. Expect some rust. The Spartans will put up a good fight, but with Brown and Langford out they’re going to need an extra sharp game from Aaron Henry. The Spartans will end up containing Geo Baker, but it still won’t be enough.

Final Score: Michigan State 68, Rutgers 73

Stephen Robb: I’m on the fence with this game. Rutgers made a lineup change and it worked against Indiana. However it also could be Indiana doing its Hoosier thing by losing to a team they shouldn’t after a big win. Gabe Brown is not playing therefore more minutes to Rocket Watts. The Spartans desperately need him. If Watts gets going then it’s a MSU win.

Final Score: Michigan State 75, Rutgers 64