Ranked No. 8 in the AP Top 25 with 12 games remaining in the regular season, MSU holds a two-game cushion atop the Big Ten standings. Saturday’s steady performance solidified its grip on the conference title race.

The Spartans have won both 12 straight games and their first eight conference matchups for the first time since the 2018-2019 season, which saw MSU take a share of the Big Ten title, win the Big Ten Tournament Championship and reach the Final Four. 

MSU’s bench shot 17-for-29 from the field, contributing an impressive 50 of the team’s 81 points. Freshman guard Jase Richardson’s game-high 20 points off the bench were a catalyst, supported by sophomore forward Coen Carr’s 14 points and eight rebounds in 26 minutes.

Rutgers star freshman Ace Bailey, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, tallied 18 points but shot just 4-for-17 from the field against the slew of coverages MSU threw at him. Rutgers guard Jordan Derkack, a 20% three-point shooter this season, scored a team-high 26 points on 4-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc.

Guard Dylan Harper, Rutgers’ other star freshman, was limited with an ankle injury, playing just 13 minutes. Harper finished with six points. 

The Spartans stayed poised during tense moments in a historically unkind venue. Trailing 10-3 early, MSU launched a 16-1 run to take a lead it never relinquished. Tied at 28 late in the first half, the Spartans responded with two buckets. When Rutgers gained momentum in the second half, MSU quickly regained control.

Michigan State improved to 5-17 all-time at Madison Square Garden and 5-13 under head coach Tom Izzo.

MSU returns home to face Minnesota, a team it defeated on the road in early December, on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m. at Breslin Center. The game will be streamed exclusively on Peacock.