Thursday, March 9, 2017

Verizon Center

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The Rutgers Scarlet Knights travel to Verizon Center to play the Northwestern Wildcats on Thursday, March 9, 2017. The opening line for this game has Northwestern as 5 point favorites.

The Scarlet Knights come into this game with an overall record of 15-17 and a road record of 3-10. They are 12-12 against the spread and their over/under record is 10-15. The Wildcats have an overall record of 21-10 and a home record of 14-4. They have an over/under record of 9-17 and they are 17-10 against the spread.

Corey Sanders comes into this contest averaging 13 points per game while playing 30.4 minutes per night so far this season for the Scarlet Knights. He pulls down 3.4 rebounds per game and dishes out 3.3 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 38% while his free throw percentage is currently at 64%. DeShawn Freeman averages 11.3 points per game in 26.9 minutes per contest this season. He averages 0.8 assists per contest and 7.9 rebounds per game for Rutgers. His field goal percentage is 49% for the year while his free throw percentage is 62%.

Bryant McIntosh averages 14.6 points per game while playing 34.2 minutes per contest this year for the Wildcats. He grabs 2.9 rebounds per game and has 5.4 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 39% and his free throw percentage currently is at 87%. Scottie Lindsey averages 13.9 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 30.7 minutes per contest. He also averages 4 rebounds per contest and 2.4 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 42% and his free throw percentage is 85%.

Rutgers averages 65.7 points per contest this season which ranks them 322nd in the nation. Their average scoring margin is -1.3 and their shooting percentage is 41% as a team which has them ranked 315th. Behind the arc they shoot 30% which is good for 341st in the country. They average 40.4 rebounds per game and 11.0 assists per game which ranks them 10th and 320th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 154th with 13.3 per game. The Scarlet Knights allow 66.9 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 56th in the nation. They also allow a 41% shooting percentage and a 32% average from behind the arc ranking them 40th and 58th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 35.3 rebounds a game which ranks 189th and they give up 13.4 assists per contest which puts them in 192nd place in the country. They force 13.0 turnovers per game which ranks them 159th in Division 1.

Northwestern averages 71.4 points per game this year which ranks them 226th in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 6.5 and their shooting percentage is 43% as a team which has them sitting in the 252nd spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 34% which is good for 243rd in the nation. They average 36.7 rebounds per game and 15.5 assists per contest which ranks them 122nd and 61st respectively. In the turnover department the Wildcats rank 343rd with 10.3 per game. The Wildcats allow 64.9 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 35th in the country. They also allow a 40% shooting percentage and a 33% average from behind the arc ranking them 20th and 62nd in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 36.3 rebounds a game which ranks 233rd and they give up 12.0 assists per contest which puts them in 82nd place in the nation. The Wildcats force 12.0 turnovers per game which ranks them 76th in college basketball.

The Scarlet Knights are 316th in the nation in offensive rating at 96.8. They assist on 44.8% of their shots, which ranks 328th in the country. In terms of pace they average 67.6 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 273rd among D-1 teams. They are 339th in effective field goal percentage with 45%. As a team they are 347th in the country in true shooting percentage with 48% and they shoot 3 pointers on 25% of their shots. Rutgers turns the ball over an average of 16.3 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 9.9% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 53.4% places them 44th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 37.5%.

The Wildcats are 120th in the nation in offensive rating at 107. They assist on 60.9% of their shots, which ranks 25th in the country. In terms of pace they average 66.8 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 297th among D-1 teams. They are 248th in effective field goal percentage with 49%. As a team they are 238th in the country in true shooting percentage with 53% and they shoot 3 pointers on 36% of their shots. Northwestern turns the ball over an average of 13.4 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 7.6% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 50.3% places them 183rd in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 30.6%.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Betting Trends

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are 12-12 against the spread

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are 10-15 against the over/under

Northwestern Wildcats Betting Trends

The Northwestern Wildcats are 17-10 against the spread

The Northwestern Wildcats are 9-17 against the over/under

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Injuries

No key injuries to report

Northwestern Wildcats Injuries

12/14/16 F Aaron Falzon Knee out for season

Guy's Pick: Take Northwestern -5

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