It was a tough night for No. 23 Rutgers as it fell to Michigan State 70-57 and dropped to 0-7 all-time at the Breslin Center.
Here are three thoughts after the game….
CAM GOES COLD....
After such a hot last couple of games for Cam Spencer, the guard had a rough go of things in this one as he finished with eight points and shot 3-14 from the field and 1-8 from three. Although it is hard to hold this performance against Spencer considering how well he has played as of late, it has become apparent that if the Scarlet Knights are going to reach their full potential on offense, they need Spencer to be the sharpshooter he had been prior.
“You could always give the other team tremendous credit but you know Cam, who's been shooting the ball at a high level, I thought got good looks,” head coach Steve Pikiell said. “They made it tough for us too at times and we really had to attack the glass as a secondary way to score.”
Shooters are going to have nights where they are on and off and the Spartans are a tough team to have an off night against and expect to come away with the win. So while Rutgers can just chalk this up to a night Spencer was off, it will need him to brush it off quickly as it prepares to face some quality shooting teams in Penn State and Iowa coming up.
A POOR SHOOTING PERFORMANCE....
Despite his disappointing performance, Spencer was not the lone Scarlet Knight to have a poor shooting night as they finished 34 percent from the field and just 2-17 from three. On the flip side, Michigan State shot 47 percent from the field and sank 12 of their 22 3-point attempts. The Spartans had five players record double figures as A.J. Hoggard finished with 16 points and seven assists while Joey Hauser had 13 points and six rebounds. Jaxon Kohler also had a big performance for Michigan State coming off the bench and tallying 12 points and 11 rebounds.
“Giving up that percentage from three and then not being able to generate any of that for ourselves really hurt us but they did a great job,” Pikiell continued. “They really did share the ball and got open looks and made them when they got them.”
This marks the second game in a row where Rutgers shot 34 percent from the field and, while it was enough to defeat Ohio State, it is hard to rely on that game in and game out especially when it starts taking a step up in competition. At the end of the day, it is rare to see a team outrebound their opposition 18-6 and come away with a 13-point loss but when one looks at the discrepancy in shooting percentages it is possible to imagine why.
ANOTHER BUCKET LIST ITEAM....
Although Rutgers has been able to mark off a lot of firsts since Pikiell arrived, the Breslin Center has been a house of horrors for the Scarlet Knights as they have yet to defeat Michigan State on the road.
“I know every time we come here, no matter what my team is, that Coach Izzo is always going to have his guys ready so you must play great,” Pikiell said. “I think we get a little respect and that's kind of nice but you have to continue to earn in a league like this every week.”
Rutgers will not have to wait long to try and get its revenge against the Spartans as they once again face off on Feb. 4 at Madison Square Garden. However, it will be at least another year-long wait before the Scarlet Knights can attempt to slay this dragon.
Rutgers will return to action on Tuesday when it returns home to take on Penn State at 6:30 PM (ET) on BTN.
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