Mississippi State basketball vs. Rutgers: 3 opposing players to watch
By Ethan Lee
As Chris Jans and his Mississippi State basketball team head on up to New Jersey to face off against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, the Bulldogs better be prepared for a pretty tough neutral site test.
MSU is getting set to meet up with a challenging Rutgers team that boasts a rather rugged defense. And while Rutgers doesn’t exactly have a great offense, that aforementioned defense could cause plenty of problems for the Bulldogs.
Thankfully, Mississippi State also boasts a pretty stout defense. And because of that, things could get pretty intriguing in this contest.
Mississippi State basketball: 3 players the Bulldogs absolutely have to account for
As the MSU Bulldogs get set to face the Scarlet Knights, here are three Rutgers players that Mississippi State basketball fans (and the MSU basketball team) should be aware of:
Versatile transfer Aundre Hyatt poses a threat for the Bulldogs
First up, the former LSU transfer, Aundre Hyatt. His offensive presence isn’t exactly the most exciting, but he’s versatile and brings a lot to the table. Like 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Oh, and he’s shooting 40 percent from deep. He’s experienced and is absolutely someone to keep an eye on.
Freshman guard Jamichael Davis could surprise MSU Basketball
Again, when it comes to offense, Jamichael Davis isn’t exactly a huge threat in terms of scoring (at least he hasn’t been so far), but he doesn’t make many mistakes and his past couple of outings have seen him scoring in the double digits. His 3.75 assist-to-turnover ratio is great. He could cause some problems.
Can the Bulldogs contend with Clifford Omoruyi?
By far the biggest concern for the Mississippi State men’s basketball team should be center Clifford Omoruyi. One of the best big men in his conference, Omoruyi is averaging an astonishing 11.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game up to this point in this season.
That should frighten some folks. Especially with Tolu Smith still out. It seems plausible the Bulldogs will have their hands full with Omoruyi.
It’s safe to say that Chris Jans will have his work cut out for him as he prepares to deal with Rutgers’ stellar defense. We’ll soon see how the Bulldogs account for these key contributors.