Rutgers vs Minnesota Odds, Lines, and Spread (Jan. 22)
- The Minnesota Golden Gophers are 1.5-point home favorites over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in an NCAA men’s basketball game scheduled for Saturday, January 22
- Minnesota is 5-1 straight up all-time at home against Rutgers
- The Scarlets Knights are 5-2 SU in Big Ten play this season
Over the years, it’s’ the Minnesota Golden Gophers who’ve held the hot hand at home when facing the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. However, of late it’s Rutgers that is sizzling in Big Ten action between the two schools.
The Golden Gophers show a 5-1 straight up home record all-time against the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers, though, are winners of the past four meetings between the two schools.
That’s including a 77-70 victory on March 6, 2021 for the first-ever win by the Scarlet Knights at Minnesota.
Nonetheless, it’s the home team that is getting the call from the bookmakers this time. Minnesota is a 1.5-point home favorite. The Golden Gophers are 3-6 against the spread at home this season.
Rutgers vs Minnesota Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers Scarlet Knights | +105 | +1.5 (-110) | O 129.5 (-110) |
| Minnesota Golden Gophers | -125 | -1.5 (-110) | U 129.5 (-110) |
Odds as of January 22nd at BetMGM Sportsbook.
Tipoff at Williams Arena is set for noon ET. The Big Ten Network is carrying the broadcast.
At a favored moneyline of -125, the Golden Gophers are given a 55.56% implied probability of victory. For the Scarlet Knights, their moneyline of +105 offers an IP of victory of 48.78%. The Golden Gophers are 1-6 against the spread over their past seven games. Meanwhile, Rutgers is 5-1 ATS over the past six games. The Scarlet Knights have gone under in three straight games. Minnesota’s last three games have all gone over.
Minnesota’s Battle For Offense
Minnesota sophomore forward Jamison Battle is sixth Big Ten overall scoring (18.0 points per game) and eighth solely against Big Ten opposition (17.7 ppg). He’s posted 30 consecutive double-figure scoring games. Battle has scored 20 or more points in six games this season.
Shoutout to the @BarnyardUMN! 🐷🐔🐮
📰: https://t.co/Ua6KeGBxq6 pic.twitter.com/QzvIB4uEYR
— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) January 19, 2022
Senior guard Payton Willis nets 15.5 ppg, which places him 15th in the conference. Senior guard Eylijah Stephens has scored 52 points over the past three games. He scored a season-high 22 points in Minnesota’s last game against Iowa and is averaging 17.3 ppg over the past three games. Stephens has nine double-figure scoring games this season, including six of the past eight games.
Like Father, Like Son
Senior guard/forward Ron Harper Jr, the son of the 15-season NBA star, is leading the Scarlet Knights in scoring. He averages 16.5 points per game. That number increases to 19.6 ppg game in conference action. That is ranking him fourth in the Big Ten.
He’s back on his bully😤 @__RHJR pic.twitter.com/WaekOj5y5J
— Rutgers Basketball 🏀 (@RutgersMBB) January 18, 2022
Harper was named a Preseason All-Big Ten selection and John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List.
Sophomore center Clifford Omoruyi averages 8.1 rebounds per game. That’s good enough for seventh overall in the Big Ten.
Defense Never Rests
The Scarlet Knights stifled Iowa’s #1 Big Ten offense in their last game. They limited to Hawkeyes to 27.9% shooting from the field in a 48-46 victory. Rutgers held Iowa under 50 points in a game for the first time since 2019.
Defense ➡️ Offense @Geo_Baker_1 🤌🏼#GardenStatement 🛡⚔️ pic.twitter.com/OP4oG0AxHJ
— Rutgers Basketball 🏀 (@RutgersMBB) January 21, 2022
Rutgers tied a season-high with 10 blocks, the most ever by the school in a Big Ten game. The Scarlet Knights also forced a season high five shot-clock violations. Rutgers has limited opponents to an average of 22.33 points in each of the last three halves dating back to the second half at Maryland.
Minnesota has turned over the ball only 142 times. That ranks second in the Big Ten and fourth nationally. The Gophers played five games this season in which they committed five or fewer turnovers.
Scarlet Knights vs Golden Gophers Prediction
Rutgers (11-6) comes into this game off back-to-back conference wins at Maryland (70-59) and at home against Iowa. The Scarlet Knights are 5-2 in the Big Ten this season.
Minnesota’s game on Wednesday against Penn State was postponed because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the team. The Golden Gophers played with just seven scholarship players in their previous game, an 81-71 setback handed them by Iowa.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛 0⃣ pic.twitter.com/q8t82SL8AL
— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) January 20, 2022
Minnesota (10-5) has lost four in a row and is 1-5 in Big Ten play. The Golden Gophers haven’t won since beating Wisconsin-Green Bay 72-56 on Dec. 22.
Rutgers is 6-1 over the past seven games. However, the Scarlet Knights are just 1-5 SU on the road this season.
Pick: Rutgers Scarlet Knights (+105).
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An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
