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Our college basketball odds and picks series continues as the regular season in the Big Ten Conference continues to draw to a close. The Northwestern Wildcats (20-10) will be taking on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (18-12) with serious NCAA Tournament implications on the line. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Northwestern-Rutgers prediction and pick.
The Northwestern Wildcats are tied at second in the Big Ten Conference and have had an impressive enough season to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament. They had a nice stretch recently winning five consecutive games and taking down No. 1 Purdue and No. 14 Indiana back-to-back in the process. The Wildcats, however, have lost their last three games and put their tournament chances in jeopardy. They’ll look for a crucial win against Rutgers to close out their strong season.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are in the back-half of the Big Ten Conference and will not have an easy road to make the tournament. They need a few scenarios to play out, but they’ll control their own destiny in trying to win at home against Northwestern. After a decent run to open up conference play, Rutgers is just 2-5 in their last seven games and haven’t been able to close their season off as strong as they’d like. A win over Northwestern would be a huge confidence boost heading into the Big Ten Tourney.
Here are the Northwestern-Rutgers college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Northwestern-Rutgers Odds
Northwestern: +5 (-110)
Rutgers: -5 (-110)
Over: 127 (-110)
Under: 127 (-110)
How To Watch Northwestern vs. Rutgers
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: fuboTV
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Northwestern Could Cover The Spread
Northwestern was looking like the boogey man when they toppled both Indiana and Purdue in back-to-back games. Their play as a team has gotten them this far and their ability to not rely on a singular scorer is what has seen them be very successful in the Big Ten this year. The Wildcats play hard and are always threatening to come back to a game. Their recent stretch has been uncharacteristic as they allowed Illinois to come back from an 18-point deficit.
Boo Biue will look to continue his hot play during the final stretch and hope that his scoring can lift his team to a victory. He’s been great even in their losses and can provide an offensive spark whenever the Wildcats are looking for buckets. The Wildcats are 7-3 ATS on the road this year and 6-2 ATS in their last eight. They’ve lost five of their last six meetings with Rutgers, so Northwestern will be very hungry to turn the tide in this series.
Why Rutgers Could Cover The Spread
While they’ve had a rough go in many conference games this year, Rutgers has been a stingy opponent for anyone in the Big Ten. Their last two wins have been one-score games against Wisconsin and Penn State. Other than that, the Scarlet Knights haven’t looked great their last 10 games and have been shooting poorly from the field. Cam Spencer and Aundre Hyatt have been their best three-point shooters, but have not been able to find a stroke in their last few games. They’ll need to get hot from beyond the arc if Northwestern ends up jumping out to a lead in this game.
The Scarlet Knights are 12-5 ATS at home this year. They’re done a good job covering their spreads in games as the underdog, but have struggled in sports like this as the moderate favorite. Additionally, they’re 2-5 ATS in their recent losing stretch, so the Knights will have to make some serious defensive adjustments to fend off a hungry Northwestern team.
Final Northwestern-Rutgers Prediction & Pick
Rutgers should be playing with a lot of motivation with this as their last home game and hoping to still make the tournament. Northwestern, however, has played better against competition and puts up a better fight in close games. The Rutgers fans will certainly be loud, but expect the Wildcats to play this one close the whole way through and just barely cover this spread.
Final Northwestern-Rutgers Prediction & Pick: Northwestern Wildcats +5 (-110)