The Mississippi State men's basketball team appears to have really been clicking on both sides of the ball in the past three games, as the Bulldogs have climbed to a 9-2 record. They've distributed the ball well enough for every player to make a mark on the stat sheet, as the highest scorer doesn't average many more points than the lowest.
However, Mississippi State's next game on Saturday against Rutgers features similar characteristics to that of their own, and the Scarlet Knights' 7-3 record is indicative of that. Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans spoke about the matchup during Tuesday's media session, stating that Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell has pulled the strings very well.
"It's going to be quite the challenge," Jans said. "We knew that when we scheduled it. Coach Pikiell's done a tremendous job since he's been up there for 7-8 years. He's built a brand of basketball that people who follow the game respect."
Rutgers has been especially stout on the defensive side of the ball, as its 60.9 points allowed per game is the 11th-best in all of Division I. Additionally, the Scarlet Knights' 6.4 blocks per game is the eighth-best in Division I. Jans commended Pikiell for his team's "toughness."
"They play together and have a core group of guys that have been there and done that for him," Jans said. "He's just done a really good job with the program. They have great size, protect the rim at an elite level, have some dynamic scoring to go along with it and they're getting healthy. They just got a kid back that hadn't been playing and he was a core player for them in years past."
Jans is referring to senior forward Mawot Mag, who has played in Rutgers' past two games after missing significant time due to an ACL tear. Mag is certainly a player to keep an eye on come Saturday, as in his second (and most recent) game back from the injury he tallied 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal.
As previously stated, like Mississippi State, Rutgers has many players that put up similar numbers to those of Mag's.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs will face the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday, Dec. 23, at 11 a.m. on Big Ten Network.
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