2/5/2023 basketball Edit

Three Thoughts on Rutgers' 61-55 victory over Michigan State at MSG

Craig Epstein • TheKnightReport

Staff Writer

Despite Rutgers losing Mawot Mag in the first half with a knee injury, it was able to regroup and avenge its Jan. 19 loss to Michigan State with a 61-55 win at Madison Square Garden.

Here are three thoughts after the game….

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Ol’ Reliable

At the end of the day, the game plan for teams like Rutgers and Michigan State is fairly simple: play elite defense and do just enough on offense. As result, when teams like this clash it will typically come down to who can make the key plays down the stretch and, in this instance, the round went to Rutgers.

Trailing 31-23 early in the second half, the Scarlet Knights (16-7 8-4 Big Ten) used a 10-2 run to put themselves right back into the game with 13:31 remaining. From there, the Scarlet Knights took a 42-40 lead with 6:44 left following a Caleb McConnell three and held on the rest of the way. Paul Mulcahy also came up huge for the Scarlet Knights finishing with 17 points and rattling off five straight to give his team a 51-44 advantage with 2:12 remaining.

Holding the Spartans to the speed limit

Anytime Rutgers and Michigan State play each other it is a battle and this game was no exception. Although the setting might have changed, Rutgers’ elite defense did not as it held the Spartans (14-9 6-6 Big Ten) right at the speed limit and limited them to 34 percent from the field and 4-21 from three.

It appeared as though the tide was starting to turn towards the Spartans following a 13-4 run that sent them into halftime up 25-19. However, Rutgers was able to hold things together and, whether it was Caleb McConnell, Paul Mulcahy, or Cliff Omoruyi, the Scarlet Knights’ calling card came up big once again and allowed them to secure a six-point victory, even despite finishing the day 22-34 from the free throw line.

The Mecca

Despite this game being played away from Jersey Mike’s Arena and yet labeled a home game, it was a good barometer to see how Rutgers would react to playing a quality opponent on a stage like Madison Square Garden. While it might not have come pretty, the result remained a W which will only serve the Scarlet Knights well when they begin to set their sights on March and look to play in some more big-time venues.

The Scarlet Knights did not come alone though as their fan base showed out in the form of a sea of scarlet and provided enough noise to make MSG a little home away from home. In a crowd of 14,884 people, it is safe to say that 80-90 percent were Rutgers fans who helped will their team to victory.

Rutgers will return to action on Tuesday when it travels to Bloomington to take on No. 21 Indiana at Assembly Hall at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on BTN.