It will be a battle between Big Ten opponents when the Northwestern Wildcats (17-11) welcome the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-22) to Welsh-Ryan Arena. Action gets underway at 2:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 27 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Wildcats are hoping for a better outcome after their 72-63 loss to Michigan on Wednesday. Alex Olah finished with 19 points to lead the team. The Scarlet Knights, meanwhile, are coming off an ugly 83-61 loss against Minnesota on Tuesday. D.J. Foreman scored 13 points and recorded 11 rebounds earning his second double-double of the season.
The Wildcats come into this game 17-11 Straight Up (SU) and 12-14-2 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 3-7 ATS. Northwestern is one of the best passing teams in the nation with an average of 16.1 assists per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, the Northwestern defense has been very good, only giving up 66.6 points per game. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Wildcats, who allow a field goal percentage of only .405. Northwestern has given up very few turnovers with an average of only 10.5 per game.
As for their opponent, the Scarlet Knights have records of 9-15 ATS and 6-22 SU. Most recently, Rutgers is a meager 3-7 ATS over the last 10 games. Offensively, the Scarlet Knights have really sputtered in the last 10 games. Their season average has fallen to 67.6 points per game after averaging only 61.8 during that stretch. The Scarlet Knights average 79.8 points allowed per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 71.1 points per game during that span.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time the conference rivals played, Northwestern won, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record (1-1). However, Northwestern holds the advantage ATS with a record of 2-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – NW, ATS Winner – NW
Notes
“Northwestern is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games “.
“Northwestern is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games “.
“Northwestern is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games at home”.
“Northwestern is 17-4 SU in its last 21 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 7 of Rutgers’s last 8 games on the road”.
Rutgers scores an average of just 67.6 points per game (ranked 222nd). Northwestern ranks 46th in points allowed, giving up 66.6 points per game.
In its last game, Rutgers lost by a margin of 22 points. Northwestern is 8-2 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Rutgers has a 1-11 record in blowouts.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights average 71.9 possessions per game and .941 points per possession. The Northwestern Wildcats earn fewer possessions with 65.1, but they score more points with 1.097.
Northwestern has an average effective field goal percentage of 52.2%. Rutgers is an underachieving 1-15 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Northwestern attempts an average of 24.0 three pointers per game and Rutgers attempts 15.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Northwestern Wildcats have a 15-10 record while the Rutgers Scarlet Knights are winless at 0-4.
The ninth-ranked team in the category, Northwestern has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.54 this season. Rutgers ranks outside the top 100 at 303rd with an A/TO of .84.
Northwestern has forced an average turnover percentage of 16.4% this season. Rutgers has a poor 5-13 record when its TO% is 16.4% or higher.
