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The Penn State Nittany Lions take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Our college basketball odds series has our Penn State Rutgers prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Penn State Rutgers.
The Penn State Nittany Lions are squarely on the bubble in the chase for an NCAA Tournament berth. If you haven't been following the Big Ten in men's basketball this season, you need to know that after first-place Purdue, teams 2 through 12 in the 14-team conference are involved in a wild scramble for positioning in the conference standings and for seeding in the Big Ten Tournament in March. We have a situation in which one team could be objectively better than another but is three or four places lower in the Big Ten standings and in a projected list of Big Ten Tournament seedings. Penn State is very much in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament berth, but the Nittany Lions are firmly on the bubble, whereas a number of Big Ten teams such as Michigan State and Indiana are much more comfortably inside the cut line for a spot in the field of 68. Penn State could really use a road win against a good Rutgers team to feel better about its NCAA Tournament hopes.
Here are the Penn State-Rutgers college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel:
College Basketball Odds: Penn State-Rutgers Odds
Penn State Nittany Lions: +6.5 (-110)
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: -6.5 (-110)
Over: 127.5 (-115)
Under: 127.5 (-105)
How To Watch Penn State vs. Rutgers
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: Fox Sports App and FuboTV
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET, 3:30 p.m. PT
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*Watch Penn State-Rutgers LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Penn State Could Cover The Spread
The Nittany Lions need this game more than Rutgers does. This doesn't mean Rutgers will lack motivation, only that Penn State will have more of it. The Nittany Lions are either a first-four-out team or a last-four-in team in a lot of bracketology projections right now. This team needs a needle-moving road win to get off the bubble and move safely into the tournament, or at the very least, move to the good side of the bubble instead of being right near the cut line. A loss to Rutgers wouldn't crush Penn State's bubble odds, but it would represent a missed opportunity to take a step forward. The urgency attached to this game should help Penn State, and the fact that the spread is not tiny — six and a half points is substantial, given the Big Ten's natural tendency to have close and hard-fought rockfight-style battles — should work in favor of Penn State covering the spread.
Why Rutgers Could Cover The Spread
The Scarlet Knights are not the best team in the Big Ten — Purdue is — but this team has been slightly better than a number of the middle-of-the-pack teams in the conference. One thing you can definitely rely on is for Rutgers to play solid defense under head coach Steve Pikiell. Rutgers has a clear-cut identity, something other Big Ten teams lack. That is a real advantage for Rutgers. Players don't need to question their roles or responsibilities. They know what the assignment is, and that's why this team is heading for the NCAA Tournament. Penn State hasn't set as high a standard as Rutgers has. That matters, and it's a clear point of separation between the two teams.
Final Penn State-Rutgers Prediction & Pick
Rutgers probably wins outright, but Penn State is a really good choice to cover. The Nittany Lions lost by only three points at Wisconsin earlier in January. This game will probably have a similar flow and feel.
Final Penn State-Rutgers Prediction & Pick: Penn State +6.5
