Northwestern Wildcats vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights Prediction, 3/5/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northwestern Wildcats vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Date: Sunday, March 5, 2023

Location: Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, NJ

TV: BTN

The Northwestern Wildcats (20-10) are hitting the road to Jersey Mike’s Arena on Sunday where they will attempt to beat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (18-12).

The Northwestern Wildcats played Penn State and went home with a loss by a final score of 68-65 in their last game. In regard to personal fouls, the Wildcats walked away with 13 while Penn State totaled 11 personal fouls. They also made 13 of 29 shots from beyond the arc. Penn State finished the game shooting 53.8% from the charity stripe by converting 7 of 13 shots. Furthermore, Penn State collected 31 rebounds (6 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Penn State earned 19 assists and had 1 steal in the matchup. In reference to defending, Northwestern let their opponent shoot 46.2% from the floor on 24 of 52 shooting. They also dished out 15 assists for this game as well as forcing 12 turnovers and earning 8 steals. Pertaining to grabbing boards, they earned 33 with 11 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Wildcats converted 5 of 6 tries for a rate of 83.3%. Northwestern ended with a 35.8% FG percentage (24 out of 67) and converted 12 of their 29 three-point shots.

Boo Buie is a player who played a role for the contest. He finished the contest at 40.9% from the field and also distributed 8 assists. He played for 40 mins and totaled 5 rebounds. He ended up scoring 20 points on 9 out of 22 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Best Bets Picks

Northwestern enters this game with a record of 20-10 so far this season. They turn it over 9.7 times per contest and as a group they commit 15.9 fouls per game. As a unit, Northwestern is pulling in 34.3 rebounds per game and has accumulated 389 dimes this season, which ranks 202nd in the nation in terms of passing. The Wildcats are connecting on 32.4% on shots beyond the perimeter (232 of 717) and 75.4% from the free throw line. They have an average of 67.8 pts per contest (280th in the country) on 40.8% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Wildcats have forced 14.2 turnovers per game while drawing 16.4 fouls. They currently rank 236th in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 408 relinquished for the campaign. The Wildcats defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 41.4% (656 of 1,586) and they surrender 35.0 rebounds per game as a squad. They give up 34.4% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 24th in college hoops in points per game allowed (62.6).

When they last stepped on the court, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights took a loss by a score of 75-74 when they played Minnesota. In relation to cleaning the glass, Rutgers permitted Minnesota to grab 26 in total (8 on the offensive glass). They finished shooting 45.8% from distance by hitting 11 out of 24 and finished the game at 12 of 19 from the free throw line (63.2%). The Scarlet Knights permitted Minnesota to convert 26 out of 54 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 48.1% in this matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Scarlet Knights finished shooting 27 for 55 from the field which had them shooting 49.1%. In the matter of 3-pointers, Rutgers buried 5 of their 12 attempts (41.7%). They were able to bury 15 of those for a percentage of 68.2%. Minnesota had 18 fouls in the game which got the Scarlet Knights to the charity stripe for a total of 22 tries. They gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while getting 7 steals for the contest. The Scarlet Knights were able to corral 23 defensive rebounds and 15 offensive boards for a total of 38 for the matchup.

Clifford Omoruyi pitched in for the Scarlet Knights in this game. He converted 9 of 15 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 60.0%, and had 11 rebounds. He tallied 23 points in his 32 minutes on the court and earned 2 assists for this game.

Rutgers has a mark of 18-12 so far this year. On the offensive side of the court, the Scarlet Knights are shooting 43.2% from the floor, which ranks 265th in Division 1. Rutgers has earned 2,060 pts so far this season (68.7 per game) and they grab 37.4 rebounds per contest. They are getting an assist 15.1 times per contest (52nd in Division 1) and they are turning it over 11.5 times per game. The Scarlet Knights are responsible for committing 15.5 personal fouls every game and they shoot 70.9% from the charity stripe.

The Rutgers defense surrenders 30.3% on shots from 3-point land (215 of 709) and their opponents are connecting on 68.8% of their free throw attempts. They give up 11.9 dimes and 34.2 boards per contest, which ranks them 116th and 195th in the nation. The Scarlet Knights on defense are ranked 8th in college basketball in PPG allowed with 60.2. They have forced 14.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 39.1% from the field (9th in college basketball).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Northwestern

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here