Michigan State vs Rutgers NCAA Basketball Spread Analysis

With the third-ranked Michigan State Spartans steamrolling toward a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights losing games at a virtually historic rate, there is absolutely no doubt that the Spartans are going to beat the Scarlet Knights when they square off on Wednesday night. With that said, let’s find out how much Michigan State will win this Big Ten college hoops lines contest by.

How To Bet The No. 3 Michigan State vs. Rutgers NCAAB Odds & TV Info

When: Wednesday, March 2, 7:00 PM  ET Where: Louis Brown Athletic Center, Piscataway, New Jersey TV: BTN Radio: SpartanSportsNetwork TV Stream: BTN2Go NCAAB Odds: TBA

Why Bet The Michigan State Spartans

The Spartans (24-5 SU, 19-9 ATS) are the easy pick because they’re far superior to Rutgers in every way. Michigan State has won four straight and eight of their last nine games including their emphatic 88-57 blowout of Penn State on Sunday to easily cash in as a 17.5-point home favorite. All-American forward Denzel Valentine overcame a slow start to finish with a team-high 19 points while adding eight rebounds and six assists to lead the Spartans to victory. Valentine missed his first six shots as Michigan State got off to a 3-of-15 shooting start. “Our defense and rebounding kept us in the game and that’s the way we have to win as we move forward,” Izzo said. “It makes me feel like they’re listening.” Michigan State has won their last four games by an average of 21.5 points per game.”I think we’ve got a chance to make a run,” Izzo said.

Why Bet The Rutgers Scarlet Knights

There is no good reason to back Rutgers (6-23 SU, 9-15 ATS) in this contest! The Scarlet Knights have lost a whopping 16 straight games including their humbling 98-59 road loss against Northwestern as an 18,5-point rod dog on Saturday. Making the loss even more discouraging is the fact that Northwestern came into the game having lost eight of its previous nine games. Jonathan Laurent scored a team-high 17 points for Rutgers, but the Scarlet Knights which lost their 31st straight Big Ten contest. “We can say all year that we’ve given great effort, tonight, we just didn’t do it,” said Rutgers coach Eddie Jordan. With two games remaining, Rutgers is on the verge of becoming the first Big Ten team to go winless in conference play since Northwestern went 0-16 in 1999-2000. Ironically, Northwestern also went 0-18 in the Big Ten in 1990-91.

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

I’m expecting Michigan State to be favored by about 20 points despite being on the road, but I don’t think that figure is too high for the Spartans to cover seeing as how Rutgers has suffered four of their last eight losses by 22 points or more, with one 39-point loss and one 34-point loss along the way. The Spartans are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games and a bankroll-boosting 9-0 ATS in their last nine games overall. Spartans are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a losing home record. The Scarlet Knights are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games against a team with a winning straight up record, 6-22 ATS in their last 28 games following a straight up loss and 6-23 ATS in their last 29 Big Ten contests. Michigan State wins and covers the spread as a likely 20-point road fave. My final score prediction: Michigan State 90 Rutgers 62