Rutgers vs Nebraska Prediction 1/16/25 College Basketball Picks

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Nebraska Cornhuskers meet Thursday in college basketball action from the Pinnacle Bank Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Rutgers vs. Nebraska prediction.

Rutgers Recap

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights come into this game looking to build on their 75-68 win over UCLA last time out to improve to 9-8 on the year. After this game, Rutgers will continue on the road for a matchup with the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Scarlet Knights Looking For Big Road Win

Dylan Harper leads the Scarlet Knights in scoring and assists with 20 PPG and 4.4 APG along with 5.2 RPG while Ace Bailey has 19 PPG and a team-high 7.7 RPG to lead the Scarlet Knights on the glass as the only other double-digit scorer for Rutgers up to this point in the year. Jeremiah Williams also has 7.3 PPG and Lathan Sommerville has 7.2 PPG with 4.4 RPG. Jordan Derkack also added 7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 2.4 APG as well on the year. As a team, Rutgers is averaging 76.4 PPG on 44.6% shooting from the field, 32.4% from three, and 69.9% from the foul line this season.

Why the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will win

• Rutgers has won seven of its last nine night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Nebraska Recap

The Nebraska Cornhuskers come into this game looking to bounce back from a 104-68 loss to Purdue last time out to fall to 12-4 on the year. After this game, Nebraska will head on the road again to take on Maryland.

Cornhuskers Lose Back-To-Back Road Games

Brice Williams leads the Cornhuskers in scoring with 18.8 PPG along with 3.7 RPG and 2.5 APG while Connor Essegian has 11.6 PPG and Juwan Gary has 11.6 PPG with 4.3 RPG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Nebraska so far this season. Rollie Worster has 8.5 PPG with 4.1 RPG and a team-high 2.6 APG to lead the Cornhuskers in assists while Berke Buyuktuncel has 7.7 PPG with a team-high 6.3 RPG to lead Nebraska in rebounding and Andrew Morgan also has 7.8 PPG with 4.6 RPG as well on the year. As a team, Nebraska is averaging 76.9 PPG on 46.4% shooting from the field, 33.3% from three, and 76.3% from the foul line this season.

Why the Nebraska Cornhuskers will win

• Nebraska has won each of its last 23 games at Pinnacle Bank Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Rutgers has lost each of its last eight Thursday night road games against the Big Ten Conference.

Total Points Facts

• Each of the last five games between Rutgers and Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena have produced a total of 141 or fewer points.
• Each of Rutgers’ last five games at Pinnacle Bank Arena has produced a total of 141 or fewer points.

Rutgers vs. Nebraska Prediction

I’m with Nebraska here. I just think the Cornhuskers are the better team here and if there’s one takeaway year after year from Big Ten basketball, it’s that home-court advantage continues to rule the roost as home teams continue to thrive. I think that Nebraska continues that trend as Rutgers continues to struggle away from NJ. The Cornhuskers could also really use a win here as they have to go back out on the road against a tough Maryland team after this, so I’ll roll with the Cornhuskers at home laying the points in this one.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Nebraska -9