Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights Total Pick for Jan 17

Nebraska Cornhuskers (13-4 SU, 10-6-1 ATS) vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-7 SU, 7-9 ATS)

When: Wednesday, January 17th, 7:00 PM (ET)

Where: Jersey Mike’s Arena, NJ, Piscataway

TV: BTN

Point Spread: NEBR +3/RUTGER -3

Total: 142

Money Line: Nebraska Cornhuskers +126/-156

Notable Injuries

Cornhuskers

• Ahron Ulis (Out) Suspension
• Henry Burt (Out) Undisclosed
• Ramel Lloyd Jr. (Out) Knee
• Blaise Keita (Out) Ankle

Scarlet Knights

• Jeremiah Williams (Out) Eligibility
• Emmanuel Ogbole (Out) Knee

Recent Form

Nebraska has been dominant at home this season, going 11-1 with an average scoring margin of +13.7. However, on the road, the Cornhuskers have struggled, going just 2-3 with an average scoring margin of -1.6. They have lost their last two road games and are 4-6 in their last 10.

Overall, Nebraska is 13-4, including a 10-1 non-conference record. In Big Ten play, they are 3-3, and their last game was a 94-76 loss to Iowa.

Today’s over/under line of 142 is lower than the average over/under line in Nebraska’s games this year (147.6). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 162 points and the over/under record for their last 10 games is 7-3.

As the underdog this season, Nebraska has gone 3-3 vs. the spread. Their overall ATS record for the year is 10-6-1. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Cornhuskers are 6-4. On the road, Nebraska is 2-3 ATS this season and they are 4-6 ATS in their last 10 road games.

After losing to Michigan State 73-55, Rutgers is 9-7 overall and 1-4 in Big Ten play. The Scarlet Knights are 8-3 at home compared to 1-4 on the road.

So far this season, Rutgers has been favored in 10 of its 16 games, going 8-2 in those matchups. The Scarlet Knights’ average scoring margin at home is +8.5 points per game.

The over/under record for Rutgers this season is 4-12 and today’s line of 142 is higher than the average over/under line of 137 in their games. So far, 12 of their games have finished with less points than today’s line. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 138 points.

As the favorite this season, Rutgers has gone 5-5 vs. the spread. Their home ATS mark is 5-6, and over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Scarlet Knights are 5-5.

Analysis

In their recent game, the Cornhuskers’ offense concluded with 76 points, consistent with their ongoing season average of 78.3 points per contest. Brice Williams is currently the leading scorer for the team, entering today’s matchup with an average of 12.8. Meanwhile, Keisei Tominaga also brings a PPG average of 14.5 into the game.

At this time, the Cornhuskers’ defense is positioned 99th in the country, permitting 69.1 points per game. Nebraska’s three-point defense is currently 183rd in the country at 8.4 made threes per game. In terms of overall field goal percentage, opponets have hit 40.2% of their shots vs. Nebraska.

In their latest game, Rutgers offense put up 55 points against Michigan State. They recorded an overall field goal percentage of 37% and made 7 threes. The top scorer for the Scarlet Knights was Aundre Hyatt with 14 points, while Mawot Mag also chipped in with 12 points.

So far this season, the Rutgers defense has been performing well, ranking 30th in the country at 64.3 points allowed per contest. On average, opposing teams are hitting 7.2 threes per game vs. Nebraska. This has come on three-point shooting percentage of 32.8%.

Betting Trends

• In their last five games away from home, the Cornhuskers have a straight up record of 2-3 while going 2-3 vs. the spread. The team averaged 71 points per game in this stretch.
• When looking at their past ten home matchups, Rutgers has an ATS record of 6-4 while averaging 64 per game. The team went 4-6 overall in these games.
• Going back to their last three games as the underdog, the Cornhuskers have a straight up record of 1-2. But, their mark vs the spread was just 1-2.
• As the betting favorite, the Scarlet Knights have an ATS mark of just 5-5 in their last ten games. Rutgers posted a straight up mark of 8-2 in these matchups.

Rich Crew’s O/U Prediction

The Scarlet Knights are 1-4 in Big Ten games splitting the two matches at Jersey Mike’s Arena where they are 8-1 this season. The conference win came against Indiana who they beat by nine points in a game that they were an atrocious 4 for 15 from the free throw line. Nebraska is 3-3 in Big 10 action, but 0-3 on the road. That makes making the call on a spread bet difficult. The total is where I’m going here. Offense is not Rutgers’ strength with a FG% of 39.1 and a 3-PT% of 29.2. Defense is their strength holding their opponents to a 12th ranked FG% of 39.2 and a good 32.5% behind the arc. Nebraska offensive numbers are better overall but they can be contained scoring 65 points at Minnesota and 62 at K-State in true road games. Take the Under 142.5