Previewing MSU Women's Hoops' Big Ten Home Opener vs. Rutgers

Michigan State women's basketball is entering the full Big Ten schedule with a fair amount of momentum.

The 24th-ranked Spartans just won the Cherokee Invitational, taking down No. 15 Ole Miss, 66-49, during the event's championship game on Monday. Next up is Michigan State's Big Ten home opener against Rutgers on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, B1G+).

Robyn Fralick Michigan State Women's Head Basketball Coach watches her team during the UofM game Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. | Robert Killips | Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

MSU is currently 11-1 on the season, with its lone loss being in its Big Ten opener at Wisconsin. The Scarlet Knights are 8-4; they lost their conference opener to current No. 14 Iowa by 43 points in Piscataway.

Michigan State is going to be a heavy favorite against Rutgers, especially with the game being in East Lansing. The Scarlet Knights are ranked 141st on Torvik as of Friday, which is the second-worst mark in the Big Ten, only ahead of Northwestern. Let's look into why that is the case.

Game Preview

Michigan State's Kennedy Blair, left, passes the ball as Wayne State's Ally Shagena defends during the third quarter on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Key Stats

Rutgers is certainly a more defensively minded team. The Scarlet Knights only score 60.5 points per game, which ranks 281st in the country. They only allow 58.3 points, which is 80th in the country, though. One strength of Rutgers' is on the offensive glass, as Torvik says that it has the 15th-best offensive rebounding percentage in the country.

That is still a big difference from where the Spartans are. Michigan State is sixth offensively at 92.2 points per game and is 17th defensively at 53.5 points allowed per contest. The Spartans are one of the best teams nationally at both protecting and taking away the ball, ranking in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive turnover percentage.

Top Rutgers Players

The Scarlet Knights' top player to this point has been forward Nene Ndiaye. She's averaging 16.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per game so far. Ndiaye transferred to Rutgers from Boston College this past offseason. She's also one of the threats the Scarlet Knights have beyond the arc, making 41.2% of her three-point attempts thus far.

Another key forward is Imani Lester, another transfer addition, but from Kansas State. She's averaging 10.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks per contest.

Projections

All signs point towards a blowout victory for Michigan State in this one. Torvik considers the Spartans to be about a 25-point favorite in this one, giving MSU a staggering 98% probability at winning the game.

It makes plenty of sense, given Rutgers' season. The Scarlet Knights have played two games against opponents currently in the AP Top 25. There was the aforementioned 43-point drubbing against Iowa first, but there is also an 18-point loss at current No. 25 Princeton.

Michigan State's Isaline Alexander shoots a free throw against Georgia Tech during the second quarter on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

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