Northwestern vs. Rutgers Recommended Bet 2/15/24

Northwestern Wildcats (17-7 SU, 11-11-2 ATS) vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (13-10 SU, 12-11 ATS)

When: Thursday, February 15th, 6:30 PM (ET)

Where: Jersey Mike’s Arena, NJ, Piscataway

TV: BTN

Point Spread: NW +3.5/RUTGER -3.5

Total: 131

Money Line: Northwestern Wildcats +140/-173

Notable Injuries

Wildcats

• Ty Berry (Out) Knee
• Parker Strauss (Out) Undisclosed

Scarlet Knights

• Austin Williams (Questionable) Undisclosed

Recent Form

Northwestern heads into this game as an underdog, as they have been in eight games this season, going 3-5 in those games. In their last game, the Wildcats topped Penn State by a score of 68-63. They are now 17-7 overall and 8-5 in Big Ten action.

On the road, Northwestern is just 2-6 this season. Their average scoring margin on the road is -7.1 points per game. Over their last ten games away from home, they have gone 3-7. So far, the Wildcats have won two straight games.

Northwestern’s over/under record for the season is 16-8, and today’s line of 131 is lower than the average over/under line in its games (137.5). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 139 points, and the over/under record in their last 10 games is 9-1.

Northwestern’s ATS record for the season is currently at .500 (11-11-2), and they have gone 4-4 vs. the spread as the underdog. On the road, the Wildcats are 2-5-1 ATS this season and hold a mark of 4-5-1 in their last 10 road games vs. the spread. As the underdog, Northwestern has gone 6-4 in their last 10 games vs. the spread.

After winning their last game against Wisconsin by a score of 78-56, Rutgers comes into this game with a record of 13-10. They have gone 5-7 in Big Ten play compared to their 8-3 non-conference record. So far, the Scarlet Knights are 10-5 at home, and they have gone 3-2 in their last five games at home.

On the season, Rutgers has been favored in 12 of their 23 games, and they have gone 9-3 in those contests. As the favorite, they have an average scoring margin of +6.5. For the season, they have a scoring differential of +2.1 points per game.

Today’s over/under line of 131 is lower than the average over/under line in Rutgers’ games this season (137.5). So far, the over/under record in their games is 7-16. In their last three games, the average scoring total is 123 points and their over/under record during this span is 1-2.

As the favorite this season, Rutgers has gone 6-6 vs. the spread. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Scarlet Knights are 5-5 ATS. At home this year, Rutgers has an ATS record of 8-7.

Analysis

Against Penn State, Northwestern had a tough time putting up points compared to their season average of 74.9 points per game. They scored 68 points and posted a field goal percentage of 31.7% in the game. The top scorer for the Wildcats was Boo Buie with 15 points, while Brooks Barnhizer also chipped in with 14 points.

Currently, the Wildcats’ defense holds the 107th rank in the nation, allowing 69.8 points per game. Against Penn State in their most recent game, the Northwestern defense gave up a total of 63 points while allowing Penn State to hit 31% of their shots.

Rutgers is fresh off a strong offensive showing, putting up 78 points versus Wisconsin. This output is higher than their season-average of 66.9 points per game. The team’s top scorer is Aundre Hyatt, who comes into today’s matchup with an average of 11.3, while Clifford Omoruyi also maintains a PPG average of 11 leading up to the game.

Rutgers’ defense has been playing well, ranking 28th nationally, with 65.0 points allowed per game. Against Wisconsin in their most recent game, the Rutgers defense gave up a total of 56 points while allowing Wisconsin to hit 44% of their shots.

Betting Trends

• Through their last ten road contests, the Wildcats offense has averaged 67 points per game while allowing an average of 72. Northwestern posted an overall record of 3-7 while going 4-5-1 ATS.
• When looking at their past three matchups at home, Rutgers has an ATS record of 2-1 while averaging 62 per game. The team went 2-1 overall in these games.
• Through their last three games as the betting underdog, the Wildcats have a strong record vs the spread going 2-1. Their straight up mark in these contests is 1-2.
• In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Scarlet Knights have a straight up record of 4-1, while going 2-3 against the spread.

Rich Crew’s Pick To Cover The Spread

Rutgers comes into this game hot with three straight wins including a blowout win over Wisconsin and two wins on the road: a difficult thing to do in the Big Ten. The Scarlett Knights have allowed 56 points over the winning streak, holding each opponent to 59 or fewer points. Northwestern shots well, and can light it up from behind the arc, but face one of the better 3-pt defenses (27th ranked 30.3 % allowed) and are without Ty Berry who leads the team in 3-pt shooting percentage. Rutgers’ offense certainly doesn’t scare anyone averaging 64.45 points per game in Big Ten matches but may only need to hit their average to get the cover here. Take Rutgers -3.5