Michigan State Spartans vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights Prediction, 1/27/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Michigan State Spartans vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Location: Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, NJ

TV: ESPN+

The Michigan State Spartans (18-2) are traveling to Jersey Mike’s Arena on Tuesday where they will play the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-11).

The Michigan State Spartans took the court against Maryland and earned the victory with a final of 91-48 in their last game. In regard to personal fouls, the Spartans ended up walking away with 11 while Maryland racked up 16 personal fouls. They knocked down 6 of their 26 tries from distance. Maryland ended up shooting 54.5% at the free throw line by knocking down 6 of 11 shots. Moreover, Maryland grabbed 21 rebounds (7 offensive, 14 defensive), but didn't have a block. Maryland totaled 10 assists and had 4 steals for the game. Regarding defending, Michigan State allowed 33.3% from the field on 18 of 54 shooting. They also doled out 25 dimes in the game in addition to forcing the opposition into 8 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When discussing getting rebounds, they collected 34 with 8 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Spartans made 14 of 19 tries for a percentage of 73.7%. Michigan State ended the contest having earned a 60.7% FG percentage (34 of 56) and buried 9 out of their 19 shots from 3-point land.

Jeremy Fears Jr. is one guy who was important for this game. He ended up walking away with 17 points on 6 of 8 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 25 minutes and also grabbed 2 rebounds. He finished the game at 75.0% from the field and totaled 17 assists.

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Michigan State will enter this game with a mark of 18-2 for the year. They average 79.1 pts per game (129th in Division 1) while shooting 47.9% from the floor. The Spartans are shooting 35.8% on shots beyond the perimeter (152 of 424) and 72.8% from the free throw line. As a team, Michigan State is collecting 41.3 boards per contest and has racked up 378 assists for the year, which has them ranked 17th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 12.1 times per contest and as a team are committing 15.3 fouls every game.

On defense, the Spartans are able to force 11.3 turnovers every game and they draw 18.9 fouls. They give up 29.7% on shots from distance and they are ranked 6th in college in opponents points per game (62.8). The Spartans defense is giving up a FG percentage of 38.8% (435 of 1,122) and they concede 28.0 rebounds per game as a team. They rank 105th in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 253 surrendered on the campaign.

The last time they took the court, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights went home defeated by a final of 82-59 against Indiana. In reference to rebounding, Rutgers permitted Indiana to snag 36 in all (8 offensive). They finished 42.9% from 3-point land by going 15 out of 35 and finished the contest at 7 out of 7 from the charity stripe (100.0%). The Scarlet Knights permitted Indiana to make 30 of their 60 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 50.0% for this game. In all, the Scarlet Knights walked away from this one shooting 21 for 58 from the field which gave them a percentage of 36.2%. With regard to three-point shots, Rutgers made 5 out of their 19 attempts (26.3%). They were able to make 12 of them for a percentage of 85.7%. Indiana was called for 15 fouls for this game which took the Scarlet Knights to the free throw line for a total of 14 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 5 times, while earning 3 steals in this matchup. The Scarlet Knights were able to collect 18 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 26 for the matchup.

Tariq Francis ended up having an impact for the Scarlet Knights in this game. He totaled 28 points in his 28 mins on the court and had 3 assists in the game. He buried 10 of 23 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 43.5%, but went home without a rebound.

Rutgers has a win-loss mark of 9-11 on the campaign. The Scarlet Knights have committed 16.9 personal fouls every game and they shoot 72.9% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 10.7 times per contest (352nd in college) and they turn it over 10.9 times per game. Rutgers has tallied 1,394 points on the year (69.7 per game) and they average 35.3 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Scarlet Knights are connecting on 40.7% from the field, which is ranked 343rd in D-1.

The Rutgers defense concedes 37.2% on shots from behind the 3-point line (173 of 465) and their opponents are converting on 74.4% of their free throw shots. They surrender 14.8 dimes and 35.9 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks 283rd and 267th in D-1. The Scarlet Knights on defense are ranked 209th in Division 1 in PPG allowed with 74.5. They are forcing 11.3 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 44.8% from the floor (243rd in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Rutgers

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