7:00 p.m. ET – Rutgers (-8) at Nebraska O/U: 140.5
| Teams | Spread | Money Line | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers | -8 (-115) | -350 | O 140½ (-110) |
| Nebraska | +8 (-105) | +280 | U 140½ (-110) |
The 13-9 Scarlet Knights travel to Lincoln, Nebraska on Monday night to take on the 6-17 Cornhuskers. Rutgers continues its fight toward an NCAA tournament appearance following a 74-63 home win over Indiana last Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Nebraska looks to pop another bubble as they did on Saturday with a 78-74 win over Minnesota.
Rutgers is led by guard Ron Harper Jr., who averages 15.7 points and six rebounds per game. Harper was a big reason for the Scarlet Knights winning their last time out, scoring 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting and collecting eight rebounds against Indiana.
Nebraska has been led by guard Teddy Allen for the majority of the season. But in a stunning move, despite leading the team in scoring at 16.4 points per game, Saturday’s win against Minnesota saw him play only 10 minutes and he decided Monday that he was going to leave the program.
Rutgers has the big wins necessary for an NCAA tournament bid. The only thing left to do now is to avoid the bad losses. The Scarlet Knights all but lock up a trip to the big dance with a win over lowly Nebraska and do not think that they do not know that.
However, with Teddy Allen’s surprising and abrupt departure from the Cornhuskers’ program, it is not far-fetched to expect a massive effort from Nebraska on Monday night. The smart thing to do for this game is to target the total. Nebraska can try as hard as they want, but its offensive woes are far beyond anything mere effort can solve.
Laying eight points on Rutgers is a dangerous game to be playing considering they shoot 62.3 percent from the free-throw line, which leaves the backdoor cover wide open all game long. The best bet is the Under on the O/U line of 140½ points. Rutgers takes a majority of its shots from inside the arc, while Nebraska struggles to do anything on the offensive end of the floor inside or outside. Their usual offensive struggles could be multiplied with Allen no longer with the team. Do not be shocked if neither team gets to 70 points in a game that should turn into a rock fight.
*Odds courtesy of MyBookie
