Make it 12 straight wins for Michigan State basketball. The Spartans went into the hallowed grounds of Madison Square Garden on Saturday and went toe-to-toe with two of the top freshmen in the league and came out with another impressive victory.

Freshman guard Jase Richardson scored a career-high 20 points and No. 8 Michigan State rolled to its 12th consecutive victory, beating Rutgers 81-74 at Madison Square Garden.

Despite Harper being out of the starting lineup and center Emmanuel Ogbole done for the season due to a knee injury, Rutgers started strong by scoring 10 straight early. Michigan State countered with a 16-1 run to take a double-digit lead as the Scarlet Knights missed 11 straight shots.

You would think Tom Izzo would be happy with his team following its 12th straight win, coming against a star-studded Rutgers squad in Madison Square Garden. Then again, if you thought he’d be happy, you probably don’t know Tom Izzo, who can seemingly always find a teachable moment no matter what his team’s record is.

Tom Izzo watched Michigan State gut out an 80-78 win Sunday over then-No. 19 Illinois and declared the Fighting Illini the best team in the Big Ten. "I'm not slighting

Tre Holloman led Michigan State basketball to a 73-51 victory over Minnesota with 12 points, all from 3-pointers.

No. 8 Michigan State extended its winning streak to 12 games and improved to 8-0 in Big Ten play with an 81-74 win over Rutgers inside Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans' tied Duke for the longest active winning streak in the sport with the win and guaranteed it would reach two months since its last loss on the season.

No. 8 Michigan State proved to be too much for a talented Rutgers team as the Spartans bested the Scarlet Knights, 81-74 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.