The Rutgers Scarlet Knights look to continue their recent mastery over the No. 1-ranked Purdue Boilermakers when they meet in a Big Ten Conference clash on Thursday night in Piscataway, N.J. The Scarlet Knights (4-4), who dropped their Big Ten opener 86-51 at Illinois last week, have a three-game winning streak over Purdue and have not lost to the Boilermakers (8-0) at home since Feb. 3, 2018. Since 2019, Rutgers has registered seven wins over AP Top-25 opponents, including six on its home court. Purdue is coming off a 77-70 win over Iowa in the conference opener on Friday, and has scored 90 or more points in six of eight games.
The game from Jersey Mike’s Arena is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. ET. Purdue is averaging 90.5 points per game, while Rutgers averages 65.6. The Boilermakers are 13.5-point favorites in the latest Purdue vs. Rutgers odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 139.5. Before locking in any Rutgers vs. Purdue picks, check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,200 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Purdue vs. Rutgers. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college basketball lines and betting trends for Rutgers vs. Purdue:
- Purdue vs. Rutgers spread: Purdue -13.5
- Purdue vs. Rutgers over-under: 139.5 points
- PUR: The Boilermakers are 7-1-1 against the spread in their last nine road games
- RUT: The Scarlet Knights are 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight home games against a team with a winning road record
Why Purdue can cover
Senior forward Trevion Williams is coming off his third double-double of the season in the win over the Hawkeyes when he grabbed 18 rebounds to go along with his 13 points. He has scored 11 or more points in five games, including back-to-back 20-point games against Wright State on Nov. 16 and North Carolina on Nov. 20. For the season, he is averaging 12.4 points, 8.8 rebounds 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals. He registered his 700th career rebound against Iowa and is now one of 13 players in the country with 1,000 points and 700 rebounds.
Senior guard Sasha Stefanovic has also been a difference-maker, reaching double figures in five games this season and dishing out eight assists twice. His best game was in the season opener when he scored 23 points in a 96-67 win over Bellarmine. In 26.9 minutes per game, Stefanovic is averaging 12.3 points, 4.5 assists and 2.3 rebounds. He is deadly from 3-point range, connecting on 46 percent from beyond the arc. He has 162 career 3-pointers, 15th on the school’s 3-point list, and needs just six points to reach 700 for his career.
Why Rutgers can cover
Senior forward Ron Harper Jr. has been a catalyst for the Scarlet Knights all season and is averaging a team-high 14.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. He is also dishing out 2.4 assists and registering 1.1 steals. Harper has scored in double figures in seven of eight games, including a season-high 23 points in a 74-64 win over Clemson on Nov. 30. He has recorded four double-doubles. In four seasons at Rutgers, Harper has played in 97 games with 84 starts.
Sophomore center Clifford Omoruyi has also been a handful for opposing defenses, and is averaging 11.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He is connecting on 60.3 percent of his shots from the floor. He has reached double-digit scoring in six games, including a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds in a 48-35 win over Merrimack on Nov. 13. He has played in 26 games in his Rutgers career, making nine starts.
