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It is a Big Ten conference battle as Northwestern visits Rutgers. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Northwestern Rutgers prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Northwestern enters the game sitting at 17-7 on the year, while also sitting fourth in the conference with an 8-5 conference record. They come in as winners of each of their last two games. First, it was a 12-point win over Nebraska at home. That avenged an earlier conference loss, as Northwestern had lost to Nebraska on the road by six earlier in the year. Last time out, Northwestern completed the season sweep of Penn State. It was a five-point win in the game, the second close game they had played with Penn State. In the first contest, Northwestern won by four.
Meanwhile, Rutgers is 13-10 on the year and 11th in the Big Ten with a 5-7 conference record. While thye have just five conference wins, they have won three straight. First, it was a ten-point win on the road over Michigan, and then they won by six over Maryland. Last time out, thye faced an 11th-ranked Wisconsin at home. In that game they dominated, coming away with a 78-56 win over Wisconsin at home.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Northwestern-Rutgers Odds
Northwestern: +2.5 (-115)
Moneyline: +114
Rutgers: -2.5 (-105)
Moneyline: -137
Over: 131.5 (-115)
Under: 131.5 (-105)
How to Watch Northwestern vs. Rutgers
Time: 6:30 PM ET/ 3:30 PM PT
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Northwestern Will Cover The Spread/Win
Article Continues Below
Northwestern sits 50th in KenPoms adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are 37th in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 79th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Northwestern is 125th in the nation in points per game but is 28th in assists per game, and fourth in assists to turnover ratio. Boo Buie leads the team on offense this year. He comes in with 18.8 points per game while leading the team with 5.4 assists per gamer. Meanwhile, Brooks Barnhizer comes in 14.5 points per game, while he is shooting 44.9 percent from the floor. Rounding out the top scores are Ryan Langborg and Ty Berry. Langborg comes in with 12. o points per game, while Berry has 11.6 points per game this year.
Northwestern is 342nd in the nation in rebounding this year. Still, they are 131st in the nation in defensive rebounding rate. Brooks Barnhizer leads the way here too. The guard leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game on the season. Second on the team is another guard, Ty Berry has 4.1 rebounds per game.
Northwestern is 104th in the nation in opponent points per game, but they are 256th in opponent effective field goal percentage. Barnhizer is solid here too. He has 2.0 steals per game, while Ty Berry has 1.3 and Boo Buie has 1.4 per game this year.
Why Rutgers Will Cover The Spread/Win
Rutgers ranks 82nd in KenPoms adjusted efficiency this year. They have struggled on offense, ranking 284th in adjusted efficiency this year, but they have been amazing on defense. Rutgers ranks second in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency this year. Rutgers is 302nd in the nation in points per game this year while sitting 356th in the nation in effective field goal percentage. Jeremiah Williams comes in with 14.0 points per game this year, and 3.3 assists per game. He has played in just three games this year, but all three are recent games in which he has been solid. Meanwhile, Aundre Hyatt comes in with 11.3 points per game this year but is shooting just 39.1 percent this year. Clifford Omoruyi rounds out the top scorers, coming in with 11 points per game this year, while he is shooting 51 percent this year. Further, Derek Simpson led the team with 3.3 assists per game this year while having 9.3 points per game this year.
Rutgers is 36th in the nation in rebounds per game this year. They are 30th in offensive rebounds per game, but 102nd in offensive rebounding rate this year. Clifford Omoruyi comes in leading the way with 9.1 rebounds per game this year. He has been solid on the offensive glass. He has almost three rebounds per game on the offensive side of the glass. Jeremiah Williams also has been solid with 5.3 rebounds per game in his three games so far this year.
Rutgers is 18th in the nation in opponent points per game this year, while sitting 12th in the nation in opponent effective field goal percentage. Derek Simpsons leads the way here, coming in with 1.3 steals per game this year, while Jamichael Davis has 1.1 steals per game on the season.
Final Northwestern-Rutgers Prediction & Pick
Rutgers has a great defense that will keep them in this game. They are not just one of the most effective defenses in the nation, they are some of the best at forcing bad shots and allowing them to stay in games. Still, the Rutgers offense will be an issue here. The Northwestern defense is solid enough to keep Rutgers are bay, while their offense moves the ball well enough to find some chances to go on scoring runs. Northwestern wins this game, but it is tight.
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Final Northwestern-Rutgers Prediction & Pick: Northwestern ML (+114)
