No. 23 Rutgers visits Michigan State following Walker's 30-point game

Published Jan. 18, 2023 3:43 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (13-5, 5-2 Big Ten) at Michigan State Spartans (12-6, 4-3 Big Ten)

East Lansing, Michigan; Thursday, 6:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Michigan State hosts the No. 23 Rutgers Scarlet Knights after Tyson Walker scored 30 points in Michigan State's 64-63 loss to the Purdue Boilermakers.

The Spartans are 7-2 in home games. Michigan State is 5-2 in games decided by 10 points or more.

The Scarlet Knights have gone 5-2 against Big Ten opponents. Rutgers ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 35.2 rebounds per game led by Clifford Omoruyi averaging 10.1.

The Spartans and Scarlet Knights meet Thursday for the first time in conference play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Walker averages 1.8 made 3-pointers per game for the Spartans, scoring 14.8 points while shooting 41.0% from beyond the arc. Joey Hauser is shooting 47.3% and averaging 13.4 points over the past 10 games for Michigan State.

Paul Mulcahy is averaging 8.6 points, 4.1 assists and 1.7 steals for the Scarlet Knights. Cam Spencer is averaging 13.9 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 47.4% over the past 10 games for Rutgers.

LAST 10 GAMES: Spartans: 7-3, averaging 68.5 points, 35.2 rebounds, 15.2 assists, 4.3 steals and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 45.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 61.3 points per game.

Scarlet Knights: 7-3, averaging 69.2 points, 33.4 rebounds, 16.0 assists, 9.2 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 44.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 59.2 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.