Michigan State basketball hosts Rutgers in yet another big-time conference showdown on Thursday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.
The Spartans are looking to bounce back from a pair of tough losses in their last two games. Michigan State let a nine-point lead slip away against Illinois last Friday and followed that up with a one-point loss to Purdue on Monday. Overall, Michigan State is 12-6 on the year and 4-3 in Big Ten play.
Rutgers on the other hand is playing great ball as of late, with victories in seven of their last eight games. The Scarlet Knights are currently alone in second place in the Big Ten at 5-2 in conference play and 13-5 overall on the year.
Broadcast and Streaming Info
Here’s when you should tune in to see this game between Michigan State and Rutgers:
- Date: Jan. 19, 2023
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: FS1
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)
Three Things to Watch
Here are three things to watch out for in this matchup between Michigan State and Rutgers:
Tyson Walker’s encore: How does Tyson Walker top Monday’s incredible performance? Well, he probably won’t score 30 points again but Michigan State will need him to be the consistent shot-maker he’s been as of late. He’s averaging 18.4 points per game across the last five tilts and hasn’t had less than 13 points in a game in that stretch. The Spartans will need him to remain hot in order to win this game.
Defending another tough big man: Michigan State will once again be tasked with defending an elite big-man on Thursday — this time its Rutgers’ Clifford Omoruyi. He is currently second in scoring for the Scarlet Knights and averaging a double-double with 13.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. The opponents’ bigs have feasted on the Spartans in their last two games and this will be yet another challenge for Michigan State.
Spartans response after Purdue loss: This Michigan State team has been resilient from the first game. So I’m not here to doubt they’ll be motivated and ready to get off the mat after Monday’s heartbreaking loss to Purdue. The Spartans had a similar defeat earlier this year against Gonzaga and followed it up with a big-time victory over Kentucky. Can they do that again on Thursday against Rutgers?
Game Prediction
Prediction: MSU 72, Rutgers 61
I have a feeling this game will either go one of two ways — big win for the Spartans or big win for Rutgers. Michigan State will either come out flat after Monday’s deflating loss to Purdue or firing, and knowing this is somewhat of a must-win, I think it’ll be the latter. Give me Michigan State with a big-time bounce back victory over the Scarlet Knights.
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