Are the Rutgers Scarlet Knights a legitimate Big Ten contender yet? It’s hard to say, as the team (7-2, 3-2 Big Ten) hosted Iowa and lost on Saturday. However, a win over then-#13 Illinois back in December was a solid victory, and it’s safe to say the Scarlet Knights are more than an annoying road opponent for the conference elite. Their next chance to make a statement comes on Tuesday as they head to East Lansing to face a Michigan State team that has stumbled out of the gate. The Spartans (7-3, 1-3 Big Ten) did beat then-#6 Duke at the start of December, but they lost their first three Big Ten games by a combined 48 points, including a 25-point shellacking at Minnesota last Monday.
Let’s take a look at your best college basketball betting pick for Tuesday’s matchup.
NCAAB: Rutgers at Michigan State (January 5)
When: Tuesday, January 5, 2021, 9:00 pm ET
Where: Breslin Center, East Lansing, MI
TV: ESPN2
Radio: No National Radio
Live Stream: ESPN+
Why should you bet on the Scarlet Knights?
Rutgers stood tall on defense against Iowa, shutting down just about all of the Hawkeyes except for Luke Garza, who had 15 of his 25 points after the intermission. The problem had to do with Rutgers’ free throw shooting, as the team went 4 of 12, just 33 percent, from the charity stripe. On the season, Rutgers has made just 62 percent of their free throws. Iowa went 18 of 23 from the line, and that 14-point differential was more than enough to account for the two-point margin of victory for Iowa.
Iowa had averaged 94 points per game coming in, so holding the Hawkeyes to 77 points was a win, even though the victory turned out just to be moral. Jacob Young led the Scarlet Knights with 17 points. Keegan Murray added 14 points, and Jordan Bohannon chipped in 13. The game was tied at 35 at halftime, as the defenses stood tall. Montez Mathis (13) and Myles Johnson (13) both hit double figures for Rutgers. It is worth pointing out that Rutgers has not yet played a game with their full lineup, as Cliff Omoruyi (knee) is still out. However, Ron Harper Jr (ankle) and Caleb McConnell (back) returned.
Why should you put your money on the Spartans?
Michigan State finally got a Big Ten win with a trip to Nebraska on Saturday, prevailing, 84-77. That was the Spartans’ seventh consecutive win over the Cornhuskers, who have not historically been a contender in Big Ten basketball, now losers of 21 straight conference games and off to its worst start in conference play in eight years. Aaron Henry put up a career best 27 points. Teddy Allen did put up 23 points for Nebraska, with 19 coming in the last 16 minutes, to keep things close, but the Spartans pushed the lead to double figures near the three-minute mark of the second half.
Joshua Langford chipped in 15 points, and Gabe Brown scored 10 points. Langford noted in a postgame interview that “We didn’t necessarily do it for 40 minutes tonight, but we [played] Michigan State basketball more than we have been in the past games.” If the Spartnas had lost it would have been their first 0-4 start in Big Ten play in 41 years. Freshman A.J. Hoggard started for the first time at point guards, putting up five assists, four points, three boards and two blocks.
Final Score and Prediction
Obviously, Michigan State is one of the blue bloods in the Big Ten, but the fact that they had to work so hard to beat Nebraska shows that they still have problems to solve on both ends of the floor. Does Rutgers have the mental strength to take down a perennial conference power, or will they clank more free throws? I would take Rutgers here if the moneyline has the Scarlet Knights as an underdog. I predict a final score of Rutgers 78, Michigan State 75.
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