We've got another exciting Big Ten matchup on Thursday's college basketball schedule as the Wisconsin Badgers will host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Wisconsin is 18-11 overall and 13-3 at home, while Rutgers is 15-14 overall and 3-8 on the road. The Scarlet Knights have won the last two meetings, including a 22-point victory on Feb. 10. The Badgers are 11-17-1 against the spread in the 2023-24 NCAA basketball season, while Rutgers is 13-16 versus the number.
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. The Badgers are favored by 10 points in the latest Wisconsin vs. Rutgers odds, and the over/under is 131.5 points. Before entering any Rutgers vs. Wisconsin picks, you'll want to see the NCAA Basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 18 of the 2023-24 season on a 141-100 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It is also off to a sizzling 26-17 start on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Rutgers vs. Wisconsin. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and betting lines for Wisconsin vs. Rutgers:
- Wisconsin vs. Rutgers spread: Wisconsin -10
- Wisconsin vs. Rutgers over/under: 131.5 points
- Wisconsin vs. Rutgers money line: Wisconsin: -554, Rutgers: +400
- Wisconsin vs. Rutgers picks: See picks at SportsLine
What you need to know about Wisconsin
The matchup between Wisconsin and the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday hardly resembled the 61-51 effort from their previous meeting. The Badgers fell 91-83 to Illinois. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Wisconsin in its matchups with Illinois: it has now lost seven in a row. The defeat doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Tyler Wahl, who scored 20 points to go along with seven rebounds, while Max Klesmit added 16 points.
The Badgers were the No. 6 ranked team in the country to start February, but they've gone just 2-7 over their last nine games and are now unranked. Wisconsin is very good offensively but struggles immensely on the other end of the court. It ranks 357th out of 362 Division I teams with just 1.7 blocks per game, and it also ranks 347th in the country in 3-point percentage allowed (37.1%). Wisconsin is a perfect 14-0 straight-up when keeping an opponent at 70 points or fewer, but it is just 4-11 SU when allowing over 70 points. See which team to pick here.
What you need to know about Rutgers
Meanwhile, after soaring to 82 points the game before, Rutgers faltered in its contest on Sunday. It took a 67-56 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Rutgers' defeat came about despite a quality game from Jeremiah Williams, who scored 14 points with three rebounds, three assists and three steals. However, Gavin Griffiths (10 points) was the only other player in double-digits.
The Scarlet Knights' strength clearly lies on the defensive end as they rank 20th in the country in defensive rating, as opposed to 337th in offensive rating. Big man Clifford Omoruyi leads the Big Ten, and ranks second nationally, with three blocks per game as he's the key to that elite defense. Williams leads the offense with 13 ppg, but while he knocks down over 50% of his 2-point attempts and over 85% of his free throw attempts, he's inefficient from deep, connecting on just 22.2% of his 3-pointers. See which team to pick here.
How to make Wisconsin vs. Rutgers picks
The model has simulated Wisconsin vs. Rutgers 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Rutgers vs. Wisconsin, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see the best bets from a model that's 26-17 on top-rated college basketball picks this season, and find out.
