Michigan vs. Rutgers Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Thursday, Feb. 29 (Take the Under)
Michigan’s lost season rolls on as the Wolverines have a strong grip on last place in the Big 10 Conference. Michigan put up a fight as a big home underdog against No. 3 Purdue over the weekend, but couldn’t pull off the upset in an 84-76 loss. Michigan has lost five straight and hasn’t won on the road since Dec. 10. Can they hang within the number against Rutgers?
The Scarlet Knights are near the bottom of the standings, too, at just 6-10 in league play. Rutgers had won four straight games before dropping its last three, all by double figures. Here’s the betting preview for Thursday’s Big 10 battle with a best bet.
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Michigan vs. Rutgers Odds, Spread and Total
Michigan vs. Rutgers Betting Trends
- Michigan is 8-20 ATS this season
- Rutgers is 12-15 ATS this season
- Michigan is 4-10 ATS as an underdog this season
- Rutgers is 6-8 ATS as a favorite this season
- The OVER is 16-12 in Michigan games this season
- The OVER is 9-18 in Rutgers games this season
Michigan vs. Rutgers How to Watch
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 29
- Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST
- Venue: Jersey Mike’s Arena
- How to watch (TV): FS1
- Michigan record: 8-20 (3-14 Big 10)
- Rutgers record: 14-13 (6-10 Big 10)
Michigan vs. Rutgers Key Players to Watch
Michigan
Nimari Burnett: With leading scorer Dug McDaniel ineligible for road games, Burnett has been Michigan’s leading scorer in two of its last three games outside Ann Arbor. Burnett has scored in double figures in three straight games and four of five overall. He’s coming off a 12-point outing against Purdue and poured in 15 on the road vs. Northwestern on Feb. 22.
Rutgers
Jeremiah Williams: The 6-foot-4 junior guard went nearly two years without playing a game before returning to the floor on Feb. 3 against Michigan. In seven games, Williams has led Rutgers to a 4-3 record and is averaging 12 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Michigan vs. Rutgers Prediction and Pick
By now, you know Rutgers' strength is having one of the best defenses in the nation.
Rated No. 4 in defensive efficiency by KenPom, Rutgers is No. 30 in effective field goal percentage and swats shot at the No. 4 rate in the country. In the previous matchup against Michigan on the road on Feb. 3, Rutgers stymied the Wolverines, holding them to 43.4% shooting and forcing 19 turnovers.
Michigan is the No. 30 three-point shooting team in the nation, but Rutgers can defend at the perimeter, limiting the Wolverines to 7-of-24 from downtown in the previous matchup. That was with McDaniel on the floor, too. Without its top scorers and one of its better shooters, Michigan will be looking for answers against a top-tier Scarlet Knights’ defense.
The problem for the Scarlet Knights is their offense has been an eye-sore this season. Rutgers ranks No. 286 in offensive efficiency and is one of the worst in the country in effective field goal percentage (No. 356) and 2-point shooting (No. 353). They aren’t much better from beyond the arc (No. 342) or at the charity stripe (No. 330). Michigan’s defense is middle-of-the-road and struggles in a lot of areas, but the Wolverines are still good enough to contain a Rutgers squad that is last in the Big 10 in scoring.
With Rutgers’ offensive ineptitude, it’s hard to trust the Scarlet Knights to lay a sizable number. You can trust Rutgers' defense to limit Michigan’s offense. Take the under, which is 11-4 inside Jersey Mike's Arena this season.
Game odds update periodically and are subject to change.