MSU Basketball vs. Rutgers: LSJ’s Graham Couch provides his determining factors, prediction

Check out LSJ columnist Graham Couch’s prediction for this matchup between Michigan State and Rutgers

Michigan State needs to get back in the win column, and has a great opportunity to do so on Sunday.

The Spartans will host Rutgers on Sunday afternoon, looking to snap a two-game losing streak. Michigan State sits at 9-7 overall and 1-4 in conference play, and desperately needs to take care of business against Rutgers.

The Scarlet Knights enter this game sitting at 9-6 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play. Michigan State is listed as a double-digit favorite in this matchup.

Every game, Graham Couch of the Lansing State Journal provides his breakdown of the matchup with key determining factors and a prediction. So how does he feel about this matchup between the Spartans and Scarlet Knights?

Check out Couch’s prediction for this matchup between Michigan State and Rutgers by clicking on the tweet below:

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Michigan State vs. Rutgers: Can Spartans pick up a second straight win on Saturday?

See our predictions for Michigan State’s home matchup against Rutgers this week

Michigan State picked up a massive road victory last week and now will look to build off that this week against Rutgers.

The Spartans upset Illinois last week to improve to 4-5 on the season and 2-4 in Big Ten play. Michigan State entered the game as a heavy underdogs but they put together a resilient effort to pick up the win.

Now the Spartans will turn their focus to Rutgers as the Scarlet Knights come to town. Rutgers is also 4-5 on the season and looking to pick up a must-needed win to keep their bowl hopes alive.

Can Michigan State build off last week’s momentum and get back to .500 on the year with a win on Saturday? Here are our score predictions for Michigan State-Rutgers and how we see this Big Ten battle playing out:

Michigan State vs Rutgers Prediction, Game Preview

Michigan State vs Rutgers prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, October 9

Michigan State vs Rutgers prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, October 9


Michigan State vs Rutgers How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 9
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: SHI Stadium, Piscataway, NJ
How To Watch: BTN
Record: Michigan State (5-0), Rutgers (3-2)
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Michigan State vs Rutgers Game Preview


Why Michigan State Will Win

The pass rush has been suffocating.

The Spartans are doing a whole slew of things right, but they’re hardly perfect. They’re able to make up for several problems by getting into the backfield on a regular basis with 18 sacks on the year and two or more in every game.

For all of the good things Rutgers is doing, the offensive line allows way too many plays behind the line for an offense that doesn’t have a whole lot of margin for error.

There isn’t much of a Scarlet Knight running game and the passing attack isn’t explosive enough to keep up if Michigan State can get out to an early start. But …

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Why Rutgers Will Win

Michigan State’s secondary is getting hit hard.

To be fair, Bailey Zappe and the WKU offense bomb away on everyone, but Miami’s D’Eriq King was able to throw well, Nebraska’s Adrian Martinez came up with a good day, and even Northwestern was able to crank up the passing game in the second half.

This might not be a high-octane Rutgers passing game, but Noah Vedral hasn’t been bad yardage-wise, throwing for over 200 yards in two of the last three games.

But with Rutgers, it comes down to the mistakes. At least before the 52-13 loss last week to Ohio State, the team has been air tight with just one giveaway over the first four games before turning it over three times against the Buckeyes. This is still one of the nation’s top teams in fewest penalties, and …

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What’s Going To Happen

Can the Scarlet Knights do that again?

It was the opener of the Greg Schiano era on one side, and the first game for Melvin Tucker on the other. Rutgers went to East Lansing and forced seven Michigan State takeaways in a stunning 38-27 win to kickoff the 2020 season.

Michigan State has only turned it over three times this season.

Under Tucker, the Spartans are now 7-1 when turning it over fewer than twice, and 0-4 when giving it up two or more times. Rutgers forced eight takeaways in the first two games and hasn’t come up with one over the last three.

As long as Michigan State is very, very careful, keeps things conservative, and manages to keep the Rutgers running game under wraps, it’ll be okay. It’ll be a grind, but the Spartans will be 6-0 for the first time since 2015.

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Michigan State vs Rutgers Prediction, Line

Michigan State 26, Rutgers 17
Line: Michigan State -5, o/u: 50
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5

Must See Rating: 3

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