The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-17) will try to put an end to their 10-game skid when they meet the Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-11) at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Action begins at 2:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 6 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Cornhuskers are hoping to rebound after their 70-65 loss to Maryland on Wednesday. Andrew White III was the team’s leading scorer with 19 points. The Scarlet Knights, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 110-101 loss against Illinois on Wednesday. Rutgers lost despite the best efforts of Corey Sanders, who recorded his first double-double of the season with 39 points and 12 assists.
Sanders has been hot for the Scarlet Knights, averaging 21.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.2 three-pointers over the past five games.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Cornhuskers winning the first matchup 90-56. White III had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 28 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and five three-pointers.
The Cornhuskers come into this game 12-11 Straight Up (SU) and 11-9 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 3-7 ATS. The Cornhuskers have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 66.9 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 73.7 points per game. Nebraska’s defense has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game rose to 90.1 during that span, compared to its 68.8 season average.
Over on the other bench, the Scarlet Knights have records of 8-11 ATS and 6-17 SU. The Scarlet Knights average 79.7 points allowed per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 73.0 points per game during that span.
In their previous meeting this season, Nebraska beat Rutgers, bumping its SU record to 3-1 over the Scarlet Knights. The teams are even ATS, with a 2-2 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – Neb, ATS Winner – Neb
Notes
“Nebraska is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 6 of Nebraska’s last 8 games “.
“Nebraska is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“Rutgers is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road”.
Winless against their conference, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights are 0-10 SU against their rivals, while Nebraska sits at 4-6 SU against its foes.
Rutgers scores just 59.3 points per away game (ranked 249th). Nebraska ranks 76th in points allowed at home, giving up 65.4 points.
Nebraska has an average field goal percentage of 45.6%. Rutgers is an abysmal 1-12 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Nebraska is 127th and 95th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Rutgers ranks 310th and 275th in these categories.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers average 7.4 steals per game. When giving up 7 or more steals, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights have a losing record (5-8) this season.
