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Michigan State basketball vs. Rutgers: What to watch, prediction

Watch Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch analyze MSU's performance in an overtime loss at Louisville. Graham Couch, Lansing State Journal

EAST LANSING — There is no time for Michigan State basketball to rest and reset after Tuesday’s overtime loss at Louisville. The next game is one that matters more.

The ninth-ranked Spartans open Big Ten play Friday with a trip to Rutgers (6 p.m./Big Ten Network), their fourth game of five over a 12-day span.

Here is a look at three things to watch when the Spartans (5-2) tip off against the Scarlet Knights at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey.