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Rutgers host Seton Hall at Jersey Mike's Arena for the Garden State Hardwood Classic on Saturday. It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Seton Hall-Rutgers prediction and pick.
Seton Hall is 5-5 on the season and they are coming off a loss to Oklahoma State in the Big 12-Big East Battle. They struggled in a very easy non-conference schedule and they will likely not have a successful conference slate either. The biggest win of the season for the Pirates was against VCU in overtime of the Charleston Classic. They will be facing a young Rutgers team on Saturday and have a chance to sneak an upset win to propel them before Big East play begins.
Rutgers started the season off hot but have slowed down a little. They began the season as the No. 25 team in the country and won their first four games. However, a terrible loss to Kennesaw State saw them drop from the rankings. Rutgers participated in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas during Feast Week and defeated Notre Dame, before losing to Alabama and then Texas A&M by a combined nine points. This team has shown they can compete with some of the top teams in the country. At 6-4, the Rutgers are expected to be a sneaky team in the NCAA Tournament, should they get there.
Here are the Seton Hall -Rutgers College Basketball Odds, courtesy of ESPN BET
College Basketball Odds: Seton Hall -Rutgers Odds
Seton Hall: +13.5 (-115)
Moneyline: +800
Rutgers: -13.5 (-105)
Moneyline: -1600
Over: 132.5 (-115)
Under: 132.5 (-105)
How to Watch Seton Hall vs. Rutgers
Time: 3:00 ET/noon PT
TV: FOX
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Seton Hall Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Pirates have an uphill battle against the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers are 5-0 at home and have two dangerous freshmen who can score the rock. If Seton Hall wants to cover this spread, they must defend Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey very well.
The Pirates defend very well. In fact, it's really the only thing they are good at. Seton Hall allows just 59.4 points per game which is 11th in the country. Oklahoma State in their recent game was the only team to surpass 80 points against them. Seton Hall has not played anyone well at all and even held Wagner to just 28 points earlier in the season. In four of their five wins, they held their opponents to under 60 points.
The Pirates have four players who average at least one steal per game. They all must be active on defense to now allow Rutgers to run up the score.
Why Rutgers Will Cover The Spread/Win
Seton Hall only has two players who average north of 10 points per game and it's Chaunce Jenkins (11.8) and Isaiah Coleman (11.7). If Rutgers manages to slow those two down, then the Pirates won't stand much of a chance.
The Scarlet Knights understand that they are a young team facing another good defensive squad. They battled Ohio State and Penn State in back-to-back games and both of those teams defend very hard. This will be a good test for them ahead of Big Ten play. The two freshmen are going to face the toughest defense they have faced all season.
Harper averages 23.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.0 steals, and shoots 51.3% from the floor. He will certainly make a jump to the NBA next year as a Top 5 pick. The freshman can do it all. He scored 24 points against Penn State in their last game which saw them take down the Nittany Lions.
The next star freshman is Bailey, who is at 17.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and shoots 45% from the floor. Facing another tough defense at Ohio State a few games ago, he struggled. Bailey will need to overcome that against the Pirates.
Final Seton Hall-Rutgers Prediction & Pick
Rutgers will be playing this game at home which is a good sign for them. They play well in front of their fans. I expect them to rise to the momentum of the contest and cover the spread. It may be low-scoring, but the Scarlet Knights are capable of winning by at least 14.
Rutgers averages 79.7 points per game compared to Seton Hall's 60.1. Seton Hall has the defense advantage allowing 59.4 points compared to Rutgers' 75.6.
Final Seton Hall-Rutgers Prediction & Pick: Rutgers -13.5 (-105)
