The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-6) travel to face off against the Michigan State Spartans (9-7) on Sunday, January 14th. This game will be played at Breslin Center in East Lansing and televised on BTN. Rutgers is coming off a win in their previous game, while Michigan State is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Illinois. Tip-off is set for 12:00 ET.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Michigan State Spartans

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights Are Coming Off A Win

Heading into their game against Michigan State, Rutgers has a 9-6 overall record and is 1-3 in Big Ten play. So far, the Scarlet Knights are 1-3 on the road, and their average margin of defeat in those games is -6.2. They are coming off a 66-57 win over Indiana.

For the season, Rutgers has been the underdog in five of their 15 games, going 1-4 in those contests. They have been the underdog in four of their last five games, and their record as the underdog this season is 1-4. So far, their record in Big Ten games is 1-3, compared to an 8-3 mark in non-conference action.

As the underdog this season, Rutgers has gone 2-3 vs. the spread. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Scarlet Knights have a 6-4 ATS mark. On the road, Rutgers has an ATS record of 2-2 this year and they are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 road games.

So far this season, the over/under record for Rutgers games is 4-11. The average scoring total in their games is 132.1 points, which is 5 points lower than the average over/under line of 137.1. Today’s over/under line is 136.5. In their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 with an average scoring total of 144 points.

The Michigan State Spartans Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Michigan State will look to get back on track after losing their last two games. On the season, the Spartans are 9-7, including a 1-4 record in the Big Ten. At home, Michigan State has been much better, going 9-4 compared to 0-3 on the road.

So far, Michigan State has been the favorite in 12 of their 16 games, going 8-4 in those contests. Their average scoring margin at home is +15.6 compared to -8.0 on the road. After losing their last game to Illinois by a score of 71-68, the Spartans will look to get back on track against Rutgers.

Michigan State has been solid against the spread this season, going 9-7. They have an 8-5 record vs. the spread at home and are 7-5 vs. the spread when favored. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Spartans have gone 7-3 vs. the spread.

Today’s over/under line of 136.5 is lower than the average over/under line in Michigan State’s games this season (143.2). So far, 12 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line. In their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 and the average scoring total in those games is 151 points.

Rutgers Offense Breakdown

Coming off their recent game, the Rutgers offense tallied 66 points in a matchup against Indiana. Their field goal percentage for the game was 32.3%, and they made 5 threes. Leading the team in scoring was Mawot Mag with 13 points. Aundre Hyatt also added 12 points for the Scarlet Knights.

Name	PPG	REB	AST
Aundre Hyatt (F)	11.9	5.8	1.3
Clifford Omoruyi (C)	10.3	9.1	0.6
Derek Simpson (G)	9.7	3.1	2.9

Michigan State Offense Breakdown

In their latest game, Michigan State offense put up 68 points against Illinois. They recorded an overall field goal percentage of 42% and made 5 threes. Currently leading the team in scoring is Tyson Walker who comes into today’s matchup averaging 20.4. A.J Hoggard also heads into the game with a PPG average of 11.6.

Name	PPG	REB	AST
Tyson Walker (G)	20.4	2.8	2.8
A.J Hoggard (G)	11.6	3.4	5.0
Jaden Akins (G)	10.9	4.2	1.2

Rutgers Team Defense

Rutgers’ defense has been playing well, ranking 28th nationally, with 63.7 points allowed per game. Rutgers’ three-point defense is currently 111st in the country at 6.9 made threes per game. In terms of overall field goal percentage, opponets have hit 38.5% of their shots vs. Rutgers.

Michigan State Team Defense

At this time, the Spartans’ defense is positioned 67th in the country, permitting 66.2 points per game. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Michigan State’s defense has allowed opponents to shoot 39.7% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 30.1% this season.

Scarlet Knights vs Spartans Trends

• Through their last ten road games, Rutgers has an ATS record of just 6-4. However, their overall record was 4-6 while averaging 65 points per game.
• Through their last five home games, Michigan State has an ATS record of just 2-3. However, their overall record was 1-4 while averaging 74 points per game.
• Going back to their previous five games as the underdog, Rutgers has an ATS mark of 2-3 while going 1-4 straight up.
• The Spartans have played well in their last five games as the betting favorite, going 4-1 straight up and 4-1 against the spread.

Scarlet Knights vs Spartans Prediction

For a point-spread bet in this Spartans vs. Spartans matchup, we’re leaning towards the Spartans at -11.5. Although our projections show the Spartans winning 75-69, we suggest placing your bet on the Scarlet Knights for the point-spread.

As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 136.5 and our model has the Scarlet Knights and Spartans finishing with a combined 144 points. Our pick is to take the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.