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Teams looking to build on their NCAA Tournament resumes meet in the second round of the 2023 Big Ten Tournament on Thursday, when the ninth-seeded Rutgers Scarlet Knights battle the eighth-seeded Michigan Wolverines. The winner will take on top-seeded Purdue. The Scarlet Knights (18-13, 10-10 Big Ten) have struggled of late, losing two in a row and six of eight. The Wolverines (17-14, 11-9), meanwhile, have dropped four of their last seven games. Michigan defeated Rutgers 58-45 in their lone meeting during the regular season.
The game from the United Center in Chicago will tip off at noon ET. Rutgers is averaging 68.2 points per game, while Michigan averages 73.8. The Wolverines are 2.5-point favorites in the latest Rutgers vs. Michigan odds, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 132.5. Before making any Michigan vs. Rutgers picks, you need to check out what college basketball expert Matt Severance has to say.
Severance is a well-connected writer and handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005. He enters Thursday as one of SportsLine’s top college basketball experts. He’s on a 137-88 run on all college basketball picks, returning almost $1,700 for $100 players. Anyone following him is way up.
Now, he has his sights on Michigan vs. Rutgers. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college basketball lines and trends for Rutgers vs. Michigan:
- Michigan vs. Rutgers spread: Michigan -2.5
- Michigan vs. Rutgers over/under: 132.5 points
- Michigan vs. Rutgers money line: Michigan -145, Rutgers +125
- RUT: The Scarlet Knights are 7-2-1 against the spread in their last 10 games following a double-digit loss at home
- MICH: The Wolverines are 5-0 ATS in their last five games overall
- Michigan vs. Rutgers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Michigan can cover
Sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin is one of three Wolverines averaging in double-figure scoring. He was dominant against the Scarlet Knights in their Feb. 23 meeting, scoring 14 points, dishing out three assists, three steals and one block. He has scored in double digits in each of the past 10 games, which included his only double-double of the year — a 15-point and 12-rebound effort in a 68-51 win at Northwestern on Feb. 2. For the season, he is averaging 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals.
Freshman guard Dug McDaniel has made a big impact for the Wolverines, and was dominant in the regular-season matchup with Rutgers. In that game, McDaniel scored 16 points, made five steals, grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists. He scored 20 points in an 87-79 overtime win over Wisconsin on Feb. 26. For the season, he is averaging 8.3 points, 3.5 assists, three rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.
Why Rutgers can cover
Junior center Clifford Omoruyi is also on a roll, registering a pair of double-doubles in his last four games. He scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a 75-74 loss at Minnesota on March 2, and scored 10 points and grabbed 10 boards in the loss against Michigan. For the season, he has registered 13 double-doubles. In 31 games, all starts, Omoruyi is averaging 13.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 30.2 minutes.
Another force for the Scarlet Knights is senior guard Cam Spencer. The Loyola Maryland transfer is averaging 12.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He is connecting on 44% of his field goals, including a blistering 43.1% from 3-point range, and is nearly automatic at the free-throw line, hitting on 89.9% of his foul shots. He was impressive in the loss at Minnesota, scoring 21 points, while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assists.
How to make Rutgers vs. Michigan picks
For Thursday’s matchup, Severance is leaning Over on the total, and he has identified a critical X-factor he says makes one side of the spread a must-back. See what it is at SportsLine.
Who wins Michigan vs. Rutgers? And what critical x-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on Tuesday, all from the expert who is on a huge college basketball roll, and find out.
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