New York (AP)—Rick Jackson has been a solid rebounder in his three years at Syracuse. He’s going at it at a totally different pace his senior season.

Jackson matched his season-high with 17 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead No. 8 Syracuse to a 72-58 victory over No. 7 Michigan State on Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.

With the 6-foot-9, 240-pound Jackson leading the way, Syracuse dominated inside finishing with a 42-24 advantage on points in the paint and outrebounding the Spartans 38-30. Michigan State led the nation the last two seasons in rebound margin.

“We just talk about rebounding being a big key for us,” Jackson said. “We shoot a lot of 3s, a lot of jump shots and there are a lot of opportunities to get those misses. When Coach said we’re not getting the ball you have to go get it and just play with that mindset.”

Jackson came into the game averaging 13.1 points and 12.3 rebounds, both career-highs.

“He’s been a monster inside defensively and getting offensive rebounds,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “He’s been steady every game for us. We’ve been very erratic in all the other areas and he’s been very good from day one, as good as any inside guy you could ask for.”