Northwestern Wildcats vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/15/2024

Game Time: 6:30 pm ET, Thursday, February 15, 2024

Venue:  Jersey Mike’s Arena, Piscataway, NJ

Where to Watch:  Big Ten Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Northwestern +2.5, Rutgers -2.5; Over/Under:  131.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Northwestern +2.5, Rutgers -2.5; Over/Under:  131.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Northwestern +2.5, Rutgers -2.5; Over/Under:  131.5 points

Northwestern Wildcats:  17-7 (8-5) (4th place, Big Ten)

Rutgers Scarlet Knights:  13-10 (5-7) (11th place, Big Ten)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Brian Bitler is on a HOT STREAK in college basketball on a 46-30-1 CBB RUN for +$12,100 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Northwestern Wildcats:  3-2  last 5

Rutgers Scarlet Knights:  3-2  last 5

Northwestern is entering this game with a 17-7 record overall, an 8-5 record in conference games, and they are 2-5 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Penn State Nittany Lions in their last game. Boo Buie led the team in points per game in that game with 15 while Brooks Barnhizer and Ryan Langborg each were next on the team with 14. Boo Buie led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Brooks Barnhizer led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 31.7% from the field, 37.5% from 3-point range, and 81.5% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 74.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 69.8 PPG against them. Northwestern has an ATS record of 11-11-2 this season and their O/U record is 15-8-1.

Rutgers is entering this game with a 13-10 record overall, a 5-7 conference record, and they are 10-3 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Wisconsin Badgers in their last game. Jeremiah Williams led the team in points in that game with 18 while Noah Fernandes was next on the team with 17. Jeremiah Williams led the team in assists with 7 in that game while Clifford Omoruyi led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 44.8% from the field, 58.8% from 3-point range, and 88.9% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 66.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 65 PPG against them. Rutgers has an ATS record of 12-11 this season and their O/U record is 7-16.

The current betting odds have Rutgers listed as a 2.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Rutgers hasn't looked great in their games this season with their 13-10 record overall and their 5-7 conference record which has them in the bottom half of the Big Ten right now. They have looked better in their games lately though with their 3-2 record in their last 5 games and they have also looked a lot better on their home court with their 10-3 home record. They are going to have some momentum coming into this one too since they pulled off a really nice win against Wisconsin in their last home game. Meanwhile, Northwestern has looked good in their games this season with their 17-7 record overall and their 8-5 conference record which has them closer to the top of the Big Ten. They are also just 3-2 in their last 5 games though and they have looked terrible in their road games this year with their 2-5 road record. They managed to beat Penn State in their last game so they do have some momentum here but Rutgers has been a lot better in their home games all year and they are finally starting to look a lot better after having a really rough start to the season. Northwestern has been the better team this year but they haven't been any better than Rutgers in their games lately and they have also shown their troubles in road games. The best way to place a bet here is on Rutgers to cover the spread in this game. 

Northwestern Rutgers Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, February 15, 2024 (6:30 pm ET start time) is Rutgers 77 Northwestern 73.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Northwestern Wildcats Rutgers Scarlet Knights prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAB predictions and previews.

Northwestern Wildcats: 23-15 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread. 8-4 ATS off 2 straight wins against conference rivals. 27-18 ATS after 2 straight games committing 11 or less turnovers. 24-17 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive unders. 27-18 UNDER off 2 straight wins against conference rivals. 

Rutgers Scarlet Knights: 3-8 ATS off 3 straight wins against conference rivals. 2-10 ATS after a game committing 8 or less turnovers. 16-7 UNDER in all games. 9-3 UNDER when the total is 130 to 139.5. 12-6 UNDER after a win by 15 points or more.

Northwestern Wildcats:  T. Berry (G) Ques Thurs - Knee. P. Strauss (G) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights:  A. Williams (G) Ques Thurs - Undisclosed.

“They’re very difficult to play against. You can’t run plays, you got to make plays. And that’s what Penn State makes you do.” - Chris Collins after his team’s win against PSU in their last game on Sunday.

“I love his (Williams) personality. He's always smiling, he loves practice and he's given us a voice on the court. I'm thankful he's out there.” - Steve Pikiell after his team’s win against Wisconsin in their last game on Saturday.

B. Barnhizer 

T. Berry 

B. Buie 

R. Langborg 

M. Nicholson

A. Hyatt 

M. Mag 

C. Omoruyi 

D. Simpson 

A. Williams

PPG: B. Buie (18.8)

APG: B. Buie (5.4)

Reb/G: B. Barnhizer (6.8)

PPG: J. Williams (14)

APG: D. Simpson (3.3)

Reb/G: C. Omoruyi (9.1)

Coaches:

Northwestern Wildcats: Chris Collins (11th season)

Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Steve Pikiell (8th season)