Rutgers basketball: Tom Izzo praises Rutgers after close Michigan State win

PISCATAWAY - Tom Izzo had a lot to say about Rutgers on Tuesday evening following No. 3 Michigan State's 62-52 win at the RAC.

Izzo is universally considered one of a small handful of deans of the coaching profession at the college level, so when he says something, it is important to listen.

"Don't take anything away from Rutgers," Izzo said. "I watched them play Minnesota, I watched them play Florida State, and I watched them play a lot of other teams. Steve's doing a hell of a job here, and people out here, you're going to be excited."

It would be one thing for Izzo to come to the podium and simply say something positive about an overmatched opponent after a double-digit win, but that is not what he did on Tuesday.

Izzo was genuine in his praise because, to be honest, Rutgers did not play poorly. Shooting 25.8 percent from the floor and 26.7 percent from 3-point range will almost never win games, but the Scarlet Knights were strong elsewhere.

Rutgers earned a 45-all tie on the glass with a Spartans team that entered the night ranking No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 5 nationally at plus-12.4. That was a byproduct of good boxing out all night.

Michigan State is in the top-30 nationally in field-goal percentage, but shot just 38.6 percent from the floor against the Scarlet Knights, Projected top-10 draft pick Miles Bridges shot just 7-for-17, which qualifies as a Rutgers win, although he did shoot 5-for-11 from deep. Josh Langford scored 15 points, but needed 20 shots to get there.

On the other side, Rutgers freshman guard Geo Baker played well, scoring 11 points on 5-for-13, while looking comfortable against a high-level, national-caliber backcourt.

"The freshman, Baker, is going to be really good," Izzo said. "The other kid, (Eugene) Omoruyi, I liked him. They didn't shoot it as well, but I liked their effort, and I think he (Pikiell) is doing a great job. I think it's going to be a good Big Ten team in the near-future.

"They keep pressure on you, they keep running those ball-screens. I think they run some good things offensively. I think they got good enough shots to shoot a better percentage than they did."

With the Big Ten Tournament being contested a week earlier this year in order to have it at Madison Square Garden, all 14 teams played two league games over the last few days. It is hard to envision anyone facing a tougher gauntlet than Rutgers.

The Scarlet Knights lost at No. 12 Minnesota on Sunday before facing Sparty. To boot, the trip to see the Golden Gophers came five days after a five-point home loss in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge to unbeaten Florida State, which looked awfully impressive in drilling No. 5 Florida by 17 in Gainesville on Monday.

Things will calm down some with NJIT, Fairleigh Dickinson and Fordham up next. Those three games precede Rutgers' annual matchup against 18th-ranked Seton Hall on Dec 16 in Piscataway.

"He's got some issues, he's got some kids he has to get to play better and maybe take a better shot or two, or this or that, like I do, but that team is competing," Izzo said as part of an 11-minute session with reporters that featured the Hall of Fame inductee praising Steve Pikiell and his players numerous times.

"When you're competing, good things are going to happen to you."

Staff writer Josh Newman: @Joshua_Newman; jnewman@app.com