Ranked teams meet as No. 23 Michigan State hosts No. 15 Rutgers

Published Jan. 4, 2021 3:30 p.m. ET

Associated Press

No. 15 Rutgers (7-2, 3-2) vs. No. 23 Michigan State (7-3, 1-3)

Jack Breslin Student Events Center, East Lansing, Michigan; Tuesday, 9 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Two ranked teams match up as No. 15 Rutgers visits No. 23 Michigan State in a Big Ten showdown. Rutgers has one win and two losses against ranked opponents this season, while Michigan State has won one of its three games against ranked teams.

STEPPING UP: Michigan State's Aaron Henry has averaged 13.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists while Joey Hauser has put up 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds. For the Scarlet Knights, Ron Harper Jr. has averaged 22.1 points and seven rebounds while Jacob Young has put up 15.7 points, 5.2 assists and 2.4 steals.ROCK-SOLID RON: Harper has connected on 48.3 percent of the 58 3-pointers he's attempted. He's also converted 55.6 percent of his foul shots this season.

ASSIST RATIOS: The Spartans have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Scarlet Knights. Michigan State has an assist on 45 of 74 field goals (60.8 percent) over its previous three outings while Rutgers has assists on 43 of 83 field goals (51.8 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: The Rutgers offense has recorded a turnover on only 15.5 percent of its possessions, which is the 23rd-best rate in the nation. The Michigan State defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 16.2 percent of all possessions (ranked 315th among Division I teams).

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