Betsided

Michigan State vs. Rutgers Prediction and Odds (Back Underdog On Saturday)

By Matt De Saro

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have been a dangerous team at home and are a good value on the moneyline tonight against MSU.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have been a dangerous team at home and are a good value on the moneyline tonight against MSU. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

Big Ten college hoops action continues on Saturday afternoon when the No. 13 Michigan State Spartans head to the Jersey Mike’s Arena to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. 

The Spartans are coming off a tight 65-63 victory over Maryland on Tuesday night while Northwestern eked out a win over Rutgers 79-78 in OT in their last game. The win left Michigan State with a 17-4 overall record and ranked second in the Big Ten with an 8-2 record in conference play. Rutgers, meanwhile, has struggled in Big Ten games with a 6-5 record that has them in seventh in the conference. To their credit, Rutgers has some big-boy wins under its belt with a 75-67 win over Michigan and a 63-61 victory over Nebraska. This, however, will be the first game Rutgers has played this season against a ranked team. 

Here are the odds for this Big Ten brawl, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

Michigan State vs. Rutgers Odds, Spread, and Total

Spread:

  • Michigan State -2 (-110)
  • Rutgers +2 (-110)

Moneyline:

  • Michigan State -130
  • Rutgers +104

Total: 132.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Michigan State vs. Rutgers Prediction and Pick

One thing to know about the Scarlet Knight is they are a different monster in home games, especially against Big Ten teams. The win over Michigan was at home as were victories over Purdue, Clemson, and Iowa. While Rutgers is covering just 40% of their overall games, they have ATS wins in 54.5% of their home games. Against ranked opponents, they are 1-1 ATS and 6-5 in conference play. 

Rutgers is a defense-first team and ranks in the top 50 in terms of defensive scoring and is holding teams to 45.3% shooting from two-point range and 40.6% overall. Defense is how they beat Michigan and it is how the Scarlet Knights can upset the Wolverine's biggest rivals tonight. 

If this game was going down in East Lansing at these odds I would lay off it altogether. But, with Rutgers proving that they can pull up upset wins over Big Ten opponents at home, I’m willing to take a chance on them here. The Scarlet Knights need to keep the pace of this game slow and rely on their perimeter defense to shut down the Spartans. 

Pick: Rutgers ML (+104)

Follow all of Matt De Saro’s betting picks HERE

Home/College Basketball Predictions and Picks