Rutgers @ Michigan St. preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 30, 2018 ) Michigan St 78, Rutgers 67

Michigan State looks to avoid a letdown before a big weekend showdown when it hosts Rutgers in a Big Ten Conference contest Wednesday. The No. 11 Spartans, who have won three straight, are tied with No. 7 Michigan atop the conference standings but visit the Wolverines on Sunday, while the Scarlet Knights are hoping to rebound from a heartbreaking 71-69 loss to No. 19 Iowa on Saturday.

Tom Izzo is dealing with losing another starter to injury after forward Nick Ward (15.1 points, 6.7 rebounds) suffered a fracture in his shooting hand Sunday against Ohio State and is out indefinitely. That will put more pressure on guard Cassius Winston (18.5 points, 7.4 assists) to produce as a scorer and playmaker to get others involved such as guard Matt McQuaid (8.7 points) and forward Kenny Goins (7.3, 8.9 rebounds). Rutgers has lost four of five contests but has been more competitive thanks to the play of Geo Baker (13.0 points, 51 3-pointers), whose 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds to play would have beaten Iowa if not for a last-second 3 by Joe Wieskamp. Junior forward Eugene Omoruyi (13.8 points, 7.5 rebounds) is solid in the paint, while freshmen Montez Mathis (8.8 points), Ron Harper Jr. (6.9) and Myles Johnson (4.6) are all playing significant time for coach Steve Pikiell.

TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT RUTGERS (12-13, 5-10 Big Ten): Mathis has emerged as the Scarlet Knights' third-leading scorer in his first collegiate season, but it will be his play at the defensive end against Winston that will determine how competitive Rutgers is against the Spartans. Mathis will likely try to apply pressure on Winston, who struggled against Illinois' pressing defense, and force him into turnovers, which has been a problem for Winston in Michigan State's losses this season. Baker is second in the conference in steals with 1.6 per game, but it will be the freshman - he played 20 minutes off the bench in the first meeting with Michigan State this season - who sets the defensive tone from the get-go in this contest.

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (21-5, 12-3): The Spartans were without McQuaid for their first meeting with Rutgers, but he'll likely make his presence felt in the rematch. McQuaid has started to be more aggressive offensively in recent contests, including a team-high 14 points in the win over Ohio State, his first time leading Michigan State in scoring this season. McQuaid will also likely draw the defensive assignment against Baker, who can take over a game offensively if he gets on a roll but will have to work hard against McQuaid's lock-down defense.

TIP-INS

1. Rutgers is last in the Big Ten in free-throw shooting (62.8 percent), with Caleb McConnell leading the team at 75.8 percent.

2. Michigan State leads the Big Ten Conference in assists per game (19.7) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5).

3. Spartans F Xavier Tillman leads the team and ranks third in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage, hitting 61.8 percent from the field.

PREDICTION: Michigan State 82, Rutgers 68