Five Takeaways: No. 13 Michigan State routed by Rutgers at 'The RAC'

The Spartans were beaten soundly, on both ends of the floor, by the Scarlet Knights

In one of the toughest road venues in the Big Ten, Michigan State needed to be at their best on Saturday at Rutgers. Unfortunately, the Spartans were far from that, as they got run out of 'The RAC' by a final score of 84-63.

Michigan State battled and looked up to the task in the first half against the Scarlet Knights, but Rutgers outscored the Spartans 44-25 in the second frame to put the 13th-ranked team in the land away.

Rutgers got out to a 14-6 lead in the first seven minute of play. The Spartans continued to trail by eight, 21-13, until Max Christie's three-pointer at 11 minute mark made it 21-16 and Michigan State seemed to settle in from there.

The Spartans continued to whittle away at their deficit until they brought it back to a 28-28 tie with four and a half minutes to play in the first half. The Scarlet Knights took a 40-38 lead into the locker room.

The second half began similar to the first, as Rutgers scored the first seven points of the frame. After the Spartans cut their deficit back to three, 50-47, the Scarlet Knights landed another body blow with an 8-0 run to give Rutgers its biggest lead of the game, 58-47, with 13 minutes left.

The rout was on from there, as Michigan State was never able to recover. Rutgers' lead grew to as large as 80-59 with three and a half minutes to play, and the Scarlet Knights maintained that advantage through the final buzzer.

1. Spartan defense shredded

The Spartans have been so good defensively this season, particularly in conference play, but MSU got shredded on that end of the floor today at Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights shot a blazing 61.5 percent from the floor today, including 9-of-20 from beyond the three-point arc. Coming into this game, Michigan State was holding their opponents to 39 percent from the field, and their previous worst shooting percentage allowed was 49.2 percent against Baylor. Rutgers exceeded that shooting effort with ease today, and the Spartans did not have nearly enough offense to keep up. The 40 points that MSU allowed in first half were most surrendered in an opening frame all year, and the 44 points allowed in the second half were the third-most points allowed by the Spartans in any half all season.

2. Gabe Brown finds his stroke

The senior hasn't shot the ball well of late, but he came alive today to keep Michigan State alive in the first half. Brown had 14 points in the first half, and finished with 20 points on a blistering 7-of-9 shooting effort. The senior was also lethal from long range, hitting 6-of-7 three-point attempts, and added five rebounds, an assist and a steal. The Spartans struggled to get Brown consistent looks in the second half, and perhaps the senior should have demanded the ball more with the night he was having. Regardless, Brown's effort in this game is definitely a bright spot in an otherwise forgettable afternoon for the Spartans.

3. Michigan State out-rebounded badly

The turnover woes grab most of the headlines, but Michigan State's rebounding struggles have been brought up by Tom Izzo many times throughout the season as well. The Spartans surrendered 10 offensive rebounds again today, and were out-rebounded overall by a 31-20 margin. Rutgers' hot shooting on the offensive end certainly contributed to their rebounding edge, but this has been an on-going issue for Michigan State. The Spartans, more often than not, have been able to overcome the amount of offensive boards they are surrendering due to their lockdown defense. But, as mentioned above, the Scarlet Knights made MSU pay tonight with their offensive efficiency.

4. Backcourt provides no backup

We mentioned Brown's performance earlier, and Marcus Bingham Jr. also turned in a decent performance with 12 points (5-of-8 shooting), four rebounds, two blocks and a steal. However, the Spartans frontcourt players didn't get the needed offensive support from their backcourt. Tyson Walker was limited by foul trouble and finished with nine points (3-of-5 shooting) and one assist. Max Christie had another one of his off nights, hitting just 2-of-10 shot attempts for six points. The freshman did hand out four assists, however. AJ Hoggard contributed an inefficient five points (2-of-7), with five assists and four rebounds. Those efforts weren't good enough for Michigan State to win in a tough road environment.

5. Spartans slide back in Big Ten standings

With today's defeat, Michigan State has slipped back into a third-place tie with Wisconsin at 8-3 in Big Ten play. League leader Illinois (10-2) and second place Purdue (9-3) both won on Saturday. The Spartans will host the Badgers on Tuesday, Feb. 8 in a vital game for both ball clubs. Michigan State will then host Indiana next Saturday (Feb. 12) in another tough matchup. In order to win conference championships, particular in a league like the Big Ten, it is of the utmost importance to win home games. The Spartans have two this week. We'll see if they can keep within striking distance of a league title.