Rutgers Scarlet Knights (12-17, 5-13 Big Ten) at Michigan State Spartans (24-5, 14-4 Big Ten)
East Lansing, Michigan; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: No. 8 Michigan State hosts Rutgers after Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 21 points in Michigan State’s 77-64 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers.
The Spartans are 14-2 in home games. Michigan State ranks third in the Big Ten at limiting opponent scoring, allowing 66.3 points while holding opponents to 40.0% shooting.
The Scarlet Knights are 5-13 against Big Ten opponents. Rutgers has a 3-1 record in one-possession games.
Michigan State is shooting 46.9% from the field this season, 1.0 percentage point higher than the 45.9% Rutgers allows to opponents. Rutgers has shot at a 41.5% rate from the field this season, 1.5 percentage points above the 40.0% shooting opponents of Michigan State have averaged.
The teams play for the second time this season in Big Ten play. Michigan State won the last matchup 88-79 on Jan. 27. Fears scored 29 points points to help lead the Spartans to the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jaxon Kohler averages 1.7 made 3-pointers per game for the Spartans, scoring 12.4 points while shooting 39.7% from beyond the arc. Fears is averaging 15.1 points and 9.1 assists over the last 10 games.
Harun Zrno averages 1.6 made 3-pointers per game for the Scarlet Knights, scoring 6.8 points while shooting 33.6% from beyond the arc. Tariq Francis is averaging 19.1 points and 3.7 assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Spartans: 7-3, averaging 78.0 points, 35.3 rebounds, 17.9 assists, 4.0 steals and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 46.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.7 points per game.
Scarlet Knights: 3-7, averaging 70.2 points, 26.3 rebounds, 12.9 assists, 5.5 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 42.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 77.9 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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