The blizzard of 2015 has apparently come and gone, and the college basketball landscape is slowly getting back to normal.

The Michigan State Spartans and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights were supposed to play on Tuesday night, but the game was postponed due to the incoming snowstorm. The game was rescheduled for Thursday night at 6pm EST, and is the second game of the day that was postponed until Thursday (DePaul at Providence).

Thursday marks the only meeting between the Scarlet Knights and the Spartans during the 2014-15 season, so there is a bigger emphasis on this game, as a win can go a long way for either team.

The Michigan State Spartans enter the contest in search of some consistent momentum in Big Ten play. They have alternated wins and losses in their last four games, scoring victories over the Northwestern Wildcats and the Penn State Nittany Lions, while losing to the Maryland Terrapins and most recently the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The Spartans have had to fight for their last two wins, needing overtime to beat Northwestern and needing to hold on down the stretch to take down Penn State. They have wins over Indiana and Iowa on their resume from earlier in conference play, which should serve as confidence boosters moving forwards.

The Spartans have won the games they were supposed to win, and they enter Thursday night as a 9-point favorite over Rutgers. Michigan State should win this game, but the Rutgers Scarlet Knights have shown that they are capable of pulling off massive upsets in conference play.

Back on January 11th, the Scarlet Knights welcomed the Wisconsin Badgers to town, and this was a game that the Badgers were predicted to win with relative ease.

However, that was not the case by any means. The Scarlet Knights sent a few shockwaves through the college basketball landscape with their 67 – 62 upset over the nationally-ranked Wisconsin Badgers. The duo of Kadeem Jack and Myles Mack led the Scarlet Knights to the big win.

Rutgers hasn’t been able to build off their big win, as they enter Thursday night’s date with the Michigan State Spartans on a four-game losing streak. Three of those four losses were by single digits, but their most recent loss was a 79 – 51 defeat to the Penn State Nittany Lions.

The Scarlet Knights are left searching for answers after their fourth-straight loss, but the team knows that they can beat anyone on any given night, especially on their home floor. With the win over the Badgers tucked in their back pocket, Rutgers is a team that nobody can afford to overlook, especially when they travel to Piscataway, NJ to play inside the Louis Brown Athletic Center.

With the Spartans looking to gain some more momentum in Big Ten play, and the Scarlet Knights looking to end their four-game losing streak, the Thursday night match-up has an increased level of importance for both programs. The outcome of the game will likely come down to the play of a select few individuals.

Players to Watch

Once again, the one player who will have the biggest impact for the Michigan State Spartans is senior forward Branden Dawson. The 6’6’’ senior is averaging 11.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per contest on the season, but has increased his production level in conference play. Dawson has recorded four double-doubles in conference play, and is averaging 12.0 points and 12.3 rebounds per game across their 7 conference games. He is coming off an 18 rebound performance against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and will look to have a big impact on Thursday night.

For the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, the player to keep an eye on is none other than junior forward Kadeem Jack. The 6’9’’ forward/center is averaging 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game this season in his junior season with Rutgers. Jack has recorded two double-doubles this season, and is coming off a 19-point performance in their loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions. Jack will look to give the Scarlet Knights a size advantage inside the paint on Thursday night against the Spartans, which won’t be an easy task with the likes of Gavin Schilling and Branden Dawson patrolling the paint on the other side. If Jack can have a big performance, the Scarlet Knights have a great chance to pull off another upset on their home court.

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Both teams are looking for a much-needed conference win on Thursday night, and the game will go a long way for either team as this is their only meeting of the season. The Michigan State Spartans (13 - 7, 4 - 3) need the win to stay in contention in the conference standings, while Rutgers (10 - 11, 2 - 6) is looking to end their recent losing streak. Both teams will give it their all on Thursday night, making this game one to keep an eye on.