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NCAA, College League, USA Basketball: Michigan State at Rutgers Jan 27, 2026 Piscataway, New Jersey, USA Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. 1 reacts during overtime against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike s Arena. Piscataway Jersey Mike s Arena New Jersey USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xVincentxCarchiettax 20260127_vtc_cb6_17658

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NCAA, College League, USA Basketball: Michigan State at Rutgers Jan 27, 2026 Piscataway, New Jersey, USA Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. 1 reacts during overtime against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike s Arena. Piscataway Jersey Mike s Arena New Jersey USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xVincentxCarchiettax 20260127_vtc_cb6_17658
Michigan State Spartans have truly found their footing in the last few weeks, as they look forward to hosting Rutgers. The Spartans are coming into the final home game of their regular season following a four-game winning streak. Tom Izzo’s team has clinched some morale-boosting wins in the last few games: No.8 Purdue and unranked Indiana on the road. The team is 24-5 and 14-4 in the season so far, and has conceded just two defeats on home turf.
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As for the Scarlet Knights, they have struggled immensely in the Big 10 play so far. With 12-17 and 5-13, the team has yet to surge in dominance this year. They have lost 8 of their last 11 games and are currently searching for wins. Let’s delve into more details for this anticipated game in the final weeks of the Big 10 regular season.
MI State vs Rutgers: Where to Watch
When: Thursday (March 05)
Where: Breslin Center, East Lansing
What time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: Fox Sports 1
MI State vs Rutgers: Injury Reports
MI State: Divine Ugochukwu (Out- foot), Kaleb Glenn (Out-Knee)
Rutgers: Link Mark (Questionable), Gevonte Ware (Questionable), Baye Fall (Out-Hand), Dorian Jones (Redshirt)
MI State vs Rutgers: Probable Lineups
Michigan State Spartans: Jaxon Kohler, Jeremy Fears Jr., Jordan Scott, Carson Cooper, Coen Carr
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Tariq Francis, Jamichael Davis, Kaden Powers, Darren Buchanan Jr, Emmanuel Ogbole
MI State vs Rutgers: Can Michigan State continue its home dominance and four-game winning streak?
According to Polymarket.com, No. 13 Michigan State is the favorite to win the contest against a struggling Rutgers at the Breslin Center. The team has a 95% chance of winning the game. And these statistics are backed by reason. For instance, Tom Izzo’s team has more in-form players, such as Jeremy Fears Jr, Jaxon Kohler, Carson Cooper, and Kur Teng, who can turn the game on its head.
Additionally, the Breslin Center has been a sort of fortress for the Spartans. They have lost just twice in the arena this season, that too against top teams like Duke and the Michigan Wolverines. Thus, they have the definite edge on paper to win this game.

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MI State vs Rutgers (Image via: Polymarket.com)
Izzo’s team has averaged 78.3 points per game. Additionally, they have limited opponents to just 66.3 points per game. On the contrary, the Scarlet Knights have struggled immensely on offense and have scored just 70.2 points per game in the season.
The main point here is that with the likes of Emmanuel Ogbole and Tariq Francis, the Scarlet Knights do have the arsenal to pose a tough challenge, but pulling that off against the Spartans at their home turf with the same consistency for 40 minutes would be too much to ask from a team that hasn’t been at its best in the entire season.
