Rutgers reeling no longer?
Could woeful Rutgers have finally found some mojo entering this evening’s Big Ten tournament clash with No. 11 seed Nebraska?
OK, so you’d have to be afflicted with Scarlet fever to favor the Scarlet Knights beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Online spots book BetDSI.com feels similarly, listing the Huskers as 15.5-point favorites.
Even so, Rutgers (7-24) ended a brutal regular season by handing Minnesota a 75-52 defeat. That verdict snapped the Scarlet Knights’ 32-game losing streak in conference play and a 17-game overall skid.
Rutgers still disrespected by public
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Nebraska (14-17) has gone winless in its last five. Even the return of matchup nightmare Shavon Shields elicits minimal excitement in light of the struggling product as a whole.
The Cornhuskers nonetheless possess far more talent on paper. Shields and junior guard Andrew White III combine for 32.9 points per contest, while Benny Parker and his 129 career steals should cast a shadow over explosive Rutgers freshman Corey Sanders.
This year’s third meeting between the two schools doesn’t figure to be nearly as lopsided as the previous affairs. Nebraska prevailed by 34 in Piscataway on Jan. 9 and notched an 87-63 triumph in Lincoln the following month, but those maulings precipitated an atrocious shooting slump down the stretch.
Rutgers won’t hang with the Huskers for a full 40 minutes. Buoyed by last weekend’s breakthrough and a neutral-court atmosphere, though, Eddie Jordan’s crew will keep matters around single digits.
WEDNESDAY NCAA FREE PICK: RUTGERS +15.5
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