Who’s playing
Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Penn State Nittany Lions
Current records: Rutgers 10-8, Penn State 12-6
How to watch
What you need to know
Rutgers and Penn State have been tied 5-5 since March 2019, but not for long. The two will face off in a Big Ten battle at 6:30 p.m. ET Monday at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions are favored, but considering the odds didn’t stop the Scarlet Knights in their last game, perhaps the team has another surprise up its sleeve.
Rutgers’ offense and defense might be a little winded after their high-scoring game against Nebraska on Thursday. Rutgers bypassed Nebraska 85-82. The win made it two straight wins for the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers can attribute much of its success to Ace Bailey, who shot 4 of 7 from deep and had a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Bailey a new career high in assists (four). Another player who made the difference was Dylan Grant, who went 7 of 8 on his way to 15 points.
Rutgers broke the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. This strong performance was nothing new for the team: they have now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Penn State’s recent rough patch got a little tougher Wednesday after its fourth straight loss. They fell 90-85 to Michigan State. After achieving such a high score, both teams may soon perform additional defensive drills.
Despite their loss, Penn State saw several players rise to the challenge and make remarkable plays. Ace Baldwin Jr., who nearly had a double-double with 20 points and nine assists, was perhaps the best of them all. Baldwin Jr.’s performance made up for a slower game against Illinois two weeks ago. The team also received help from Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who went 5 for 8 en route to 13 points plus three blocks.
Rutgers’ win ended a seven-game road drought dating back to last season and puts them at 10-8. As for Penn State, their loss dropped their record to 12-6.
A high-performance offense is likely on the agenda, as both teams are among the highest-scoring teams in the league. Rutgers has had no problem running up the score this season, averaging 76.8 points per game. However, it’s not like Penn State struggled in that department, as its average was 84.4. With both teams so easily able to rack up points, the only question that remains is who can run up the score.
While only Rutgers took care of its fans the last time they played, both teams kept bettors happy by covering the spread. Going forward, Penn State is the favorite in this one, as experts expect to see them win by 6.5 points. Rutgers is a bet against the spread as they are 6-11-1 ATS.
Odds
Penn State is a solid 6.5-point favorite against Rutgers, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The punters were perfectly in tune with the betting community on this point, as the game opened with a 6.5 point spread and stayed there.
The over/under is 158 points.
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History of the series
Penn State and Rutgers both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- December 10, 2024 – Rutgers 80 vs. Penn State 76
- January 31, 2024 – Penn State 61 vs. Rutgers 46
- February 26, 2023 – Rutgers 59 vs. Penn State 56
- January 24, 2023 – Rutgers 65 vs. Penn State 45
- March 06, 2022 – Rutgers 59 vs. Penn State 58
- January 11, 2022 – Penn State 66 vs. Rutgers 49
- January 21, 2021 – Penn State 75 vs. Rutgers 67
- February 26, 2020 – Penn State 65 vs. Rutgers 64
- January 7, 2020 – Rutgers 72 vs. Penn State 61
- March 06, 2019 – Penn State 66 vs. Rutgers 65
