Howard vs Rutgers Prediction - College Basketball Picks 11/18/23

Howard managed to pull back to .500 on the season after their last matchup versus Boston U. The Bison were down 24-23 going into the second half, but scored 41 points from there in a 64-53 win. Leading the scoring was Bryce Harris with 19 points and nine rebounds. Seth Towns added 13 points with six boards as well.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Over on the Rutgers side, they kicked off the year with a tough loss to Princeton 68-61. The Knights hit just 4-of-14 (28.6 percent) from 3-point range in that one and got out-rebounded 39-35. Rutgers was able to bounce back with a 69-45 win our Boston U in game two, then took out Bryant 66-57 back on Sunday.

In their latest matchup Wednesday versus Georgetown, the Scarlet Knights kept their win streak going. Rutgers held the Hoyas to just 28 points in the second half on the way to a 71-60 result. Derek Simpson was the leading scorer with his 15 points and four assists. Both Aundre Hyatt and Gavin Griffiths posted 12 points with a combined eight rebounds.

ANDREW’S FREE PICK

I’ll take a stab on Howard in this one. The Bison are going to have to improve their shooting and win the rebounding battle, though. Howard shot a rough 35.2 percent from the field with just 6-of-22 (27.3 percent) from 3-point range and 76.9 percent (20-of-26) from the line in their win over Boston U. The Bison hauled in 43 turnovers however, which helped them keep the game in hand.

As for Rutgers, they got outfoxed on the boards 43-33 in the Georgetown game and hit just 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) from the line. The Knights shot well from the field however (45.3 percent), and they’ll probably keep that going here. I like Howard to bag some second-chance points off the boards to help cover, though.