Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Michigan State Spartans Prediction, 1/5/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Michigan State Spartans

Date: Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Location: Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI

TV: ESPN2

Odds/Point Spread: Rutgers (+2.5)

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-2) head to Breslin Center on Tuesday where they'll meet the Michigan State Spartans (7-3). The spread on this matchup has Michigan State as 2.5-point favorites. The O/U has been set at 150.5.

Rutgers comes into this contest with a record of 7-2 for the year. The Scarlet Knights are connecting on 39.3% on three-point shots (68 of 173) and 60.5% from the free throw line. They have an average of 80.0 points per outing (66th in D-1) while hitting 49.0% from the field. They lose possession via turnover 10.9 times per contest and as a team are committing 17.0 fouls every game. As a team, Rutgers is grabbing 38.6 boards per contest and has racked up 150 dimes for the campaign, which is 64th in college basketball in terms of passing the rock. On the defensive end, the Scarlet Knights have forced 12.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 18.0 fouls. The Scarlet Knights defense is giving up a FG percentage of 42.3% (234 of 553) and they concede 35.4 boards per contest as a squad. They are ranked 241st in college basketball in giving up assists with 122 conceded for the year. They surrender 30.8% on 3-point shots while they are 211th in college basketball in points per game allowed (71.6).

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights played the Iowa Hawkeyes and went home with a loss by a final score of 77-75 in their last game. Rutgers walked away from the contest having earned a 43.7% FG percentage (31 of 71) and converted 9 of 23 shots from distance. When they shot from the free throw line, the Scarlet Knights converted 4 of their 12 shots for a percentage of 33.3%. With regard to pulling down rebounds, they earned 36 with 15 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 19 assists for this contest in addition to earning 11 steals and 8 rejections. Pertaining to defense, Rutgers allowed 43.7% from the floor on 31 of 71 shooting. Iowa earned 13 assists and had 8 steals for the game. Moreover, the Hawkeyes collected 37 rebounds (9 offensive, 28 defensive) and got 8 rejections. Iowa finished the game at 78.3% when shooting free throws by making 18 of their 23 attempts. They also knocked down 7 of their 18 tries from distance.

Jacob Young is one player who was important in the game. He was able to score 17 points on 7 out of 12 shooting. He saw the court for 34 mins and also pulled down 3 rebounds. Young walked away from this one shooting 58.3% from the floor and also earned 4 dimes. An additional guy that had an impact in the matchup for the Scarlet Knights was Ron Harper. He collected 6 rebounds and also accounted for 2 assists. He went 33.3% from the floor for the contest by shooting 5-of-15 (13 points). When the game finished, Harper was on the court for 33 min.

Michigan State has a mark of 7-3 so far this season. As an offensive team, the Spartans are hitting on 45.1% from the floor, which ranks 158th in D-1. Michigan State has totaled 790 points for the season (79.0 per contest) and they pull in 38.7 rebounds per game. They are getting an assist 20.2 times per game (6th in Division 1) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 13.2 times per contest. The Spartans commit 18.6 personal fouls every game and they hit 75.9% from the free throw line. The Spartans on the defensive end are ranked 277th in Division 1 in PPG given up with 75.6. They are forcing 11.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 43.6% from the field (212th in college hoops). The Michigan State defense gives up 35.6% on three-point shots (78 of 219) and opponents are knocking down 77.8% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 14.4 assists and 33.7 total boards per game, which has them ranked 259th and 109th in those defensive categories.

In their last game, the Michigan State Spartans got the win with a final of 84-77 when they played the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Spartans snagged 19 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 28 for the contest. They also turned away 5 shots while recording 6 steals for this game. The Cornhuskers were called for 21 fouls in this contest which took the Spartans to the charity stripe for a total of 26 attempts. They were able to convert 19 of those for a clip of 73.1%. Regarding 3-point shots, Michigan State made 7 of their 23 attempts (30.4%). In all, the Spartans shot 29 out of 56 from the floor which had them at 51.8%. The Spartans allowed the Cornhuskers to make 27 out of 55 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 49.1% for this game. They wrapped up this game 47.4% from 3-point land by shooting 9 out of 19 and ended up shooting 14 out of 19 at the charity stripe (73.7%). With respect to how they cleaned up the glass, Michigan State allowed Nebraska to get 26 overall (6 on the offensive side).

Aaron Henry was important for the Spartans in this contest. He converted 10 out of 16 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 62.5%, which had him sitting at 27 points. Henry grabbed 4 rebounds in his 33 mins and added 2 dimes in this game. Another guy that ended being a contributor for Michigan State was Joshua Langford. He walked away with 15 points in his 29 minutes played via 5 out of 12 shooting in the game. Langford ended the game having shot 41.7% from the floor as well as earning 2 assists and 2 total rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Rutgers (+2.5)

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