Michigan St. @ Rutgers preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 4, 2017 ) Rutgers 65, Michigan St 93

No. 3 Michigan State plays its first real road game Tuesday when it travels to take on Rutgers in a Big Ten matchup. The Spartans have won six straight, including a rout of Nebraska on Sunday in their league opener, while the Scarlet Knights have dropped two in a row after starting the season 6-0.

Sophomore forward Miles Bridges draws a lot of the attention from media and opponents alike, and rightfully so, with his 14.6 ppg and 6.6 rpg averages, but Nick Ward has been a force inside lately, also averaging 14.6 points on 68.3 percent shooting in just 18 minutes per contest. Tom Izzo's squad has been very sharp on the defensive end, holding opponents to 34.2 percent shooting, tops in the nation, and just 62.2 points per contest. As good as the Spartans have been on the defensive end, Rutgers has been almost as good, ranking second in the country in scoring defense (56.3 points) and rebounds per game (46.1), including a national-best 16.63 offensive boards per contest. Offensively, the Scarlet Knights have a balanced attack, led by Corey Sanders (12.6 points) and Geo Baker (11.5), but the team is shooting 41.3 percent from the field, including a 26.4 percent clip from 3-point range.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten): The Spartans' interior defense has been fantastic this season, with the team tied with Duke and Purdue for second in the country with 58 blocked shots. But the perimeter defense has been troublesome for Izzo, as Michigan State is allowing opponents to shoot 36.2 percent on 3-point attempts, which is tied for 235th in the country. Izzo was upset with his players Sunday after they allowed Nebraska to hit 10 shots from beyond the arc, saying they need to get back on defense better to not give up the transition 3-pointer.

ABOUT RUTGERS (6-2, 0-1): The Scarlet Knights' struggles shooting the basketball have been masked partially by the team's ability to hit the offensive glass, with Rutgers leading the country in offensive rebounds and ranking 10th in rebound margin (+11.3). Against a tall, athletic team like Michigan State, players like forwards DeShawn Freeman (9.3 rebounds per game), Eugene Omoruyi (5.3), Issa Thiam (5.5) and Mamadou Doucoure (5.4) become extremely important for their ability to keep possessions alive for Rutgers and limit the explosive Spartans to one shot. In Michigan State's only loss of the season, to No. 1 Duke, the Spartans gave up 25 offensive and 46 total rebounds, so Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell will certainly be telling his players to crash the offensive glass in hopes of repeating the Blue Devils' success.

TIP-INS

1. Michigan State G Cassius Winston is averaging 17 points and 6.5 assists over the last four games, shooting 62.8 percent from the field, including 63.2 percent from 3-point range.

2. Doucoure is coming off a career game, with his 13 points and nine rebounds against Minnesota both setting new personal highs.

3. The Spartans have won their six straight by margins of 18 or more points, the longest such streak at Michigan State since the start of the 1985-86 season.

PREDICTION: Michigan State 83, Rutgers 65