Mississippi State expects 'rock fight' with Rutgers at Gotham Classic

Field Level Media|published: Fri 22nd December, 12:30 2023

Dec 16, 2023; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Jamichael Davis (1) drives to the basket as Long Island Sharks guard Andre Washington (5) defends during the second half at Jersey Mike's Arena. credits: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Rutgers has settled on its ideal starting lineup going forward. Its final big test of the nonconference schedule will come Saturday against Mississippi State in the Gotham Classic in Newark, N.J.

Rutgers (7-3) is 2-0 since making two major personnel changes. For one, senior forward Mawot Mag completed his recovery from a February ACL tear and returned to the starting lineup.

Mag provided four points and eight rebounds in a 70-63 rivalry win over Seton Hall on Dec. 9. One week later, he added 10 points, four boards and two blocks in an 83-61 victory over Long Island.

The Scarlet Knights had been crushed on the boards by Saint Peter's, Illinois and Wake Forest before Mag's return. They held their own against Seton Hall (37-37) before outrebounding LIU 41-30.

"You see our rebounding numbers have gone up since Mawot Mag has been back, and his rebounding numbers have gone up a great deal and we need that," Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell told reporters. "Mississippi State is a good rebounding team, so we have to continue on that path."

The other big decision was inserting freshman point guard Jamichael Davis into the starting five. Against Seton Hall, Davis put up 11 points and six assists in his first college start before scoring 12 on LIU. Davis has the best assist-to-turnover ratio (3.75) of any freshman in the country.

Mississippi State (9-2) has won three in a row since a two-game skid knocked it out of the Top 25. The Bulldogs tackled North Texas 72-54 on Sunday, with KeShawn Murphy scoring a team-high 18 points off the bench.

Cameron Matthews was everywhere, racking up nine points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, five steals and three blocks.

"Cam needs his motor running hot," coach Chris Jans told reporters. "He needs to be just aggressive from the jump. Like I said, I'm not sure exactly ... how he got to that point before the ball was tipped, but I could see it. That influenced his play on the court."

Jans is prepared for a Rutgers team that will resemble defense-minded North Texas. The Scarlet Knights rank 12th in the country in scoring defense (60.9 points per game).

"They want to get you into rock fights," Jans said. "They want to get you into some halfcourt games as best as possible. They want to control the tempo to their favor, and they just want to impose their will on you."

—Field Level Media