Michigan State basketball: Getting to know Rutgers

Michigan State basketball will host Rutgers on Sunday afternoon. What do we know about the Scarlet Knights?

Michigan State basketball once again has another game right around the corner. On Thursday, the Spartans suffered a 71-68 loss to No. 10 Illinois, but they need to move past that quickly.

Rutgers comes to town on Sunday in a must-win game for the Spartans at the Breslin Center.

Before the game, let’s see how the Scarlet Knights have been doing this season.

Rutgers season in review

Rutgers hasn’t been having that great of a season. It comes into this matchup with a 9-6 (1-3) record, losing three of its last five games. In the Scarlet Knights’ last game, they beat a struggling Indiana squad at home 66-57.

The Knights have been about as average as you could possibly be. They do have one bad loss this season early in the year against Princeton, but other than that, they’ve beaten the teams they should have. Rutgers also doesn’t have any standout wins either, so it’s been a pretty mediocre season so far.

One thing in MSU’s favor this game is that Rutgers is 1-5 in games played away from home. The one win came at Seton Hall, which I wouldn’t consider an amazing win, albeit it’s likely their best win. The only common opponent between MSU and Rutgers is Illinois, who the Spartans just lost to by three. Rutgers, on the other hand, lost by 18 at home. So if you’re a believer in the transitive property, MSU should be in good shape.

Key players to watch

Rutgers doesn’t have anyone that jumps out as a huge scoring threat. Their leading scorer, Aundre Hyatt, leads the team with only 11.9 points per game. Not a very high total for your leading scorer. What Rutgers lacks in a dominant scorer they make up for with their depth. Rutgers currently has nine players averaging at least four points per game, not too shabby.

The Scarlet Knights center, Clifford Omoruyi, is the only other player to watch out for. He is dominant on the glass, averaging 9.1 rebounds per game. Combine that with his 10.3 points per game and he is nearly averaging a double-double. Mady Sissoko will likely be called on a lot to handle Omoruyi.

Rutgers is not a team to look out for from 3-point range either. They don’t have a single player over 40 percent on the season, with their best player at 36.4 percent. Shockingly, they only have three players above 30 percent from beyond the arc. When all of basketball seemingly shoots the three ball well now, Rutgers is not one of those teams.

This game is a must-win, especially after reviewing Rutgers’ season and player stats. No player is a threat to beat us on their own, so I’d like to believe that if the Spartans play the Michigan State style of basketball they’re capable of, they should come away with a victory.