Northwestern vs Rutgers Prediction, Picks & Odds | 11 Jan 2026

College Basketball Betting Preview: Northwestern vs Rutgers

The Northwestern Wildcats battle the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, with tip-off scheduled for 17:00 on Sunday, January 11.

We’re very excited to see Northwestern at -4.5 on the spread and think it’s a really good number for them to cover against Rutgers at odds of -102.

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Northwestern Wildcats suffered a defeat in their previous game. A 76-66 scoreline occurred on the road against Michigan State Spartans.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights lost on the road in their last game. Illinois Fighting Illini won 81-55.

Head-to-Head Statistics

Rutgers have landed back-to-back victories against Northwestern. A home matchup saw them triumph 63-60 and they won 79-72 on the road. The past 10 games between the teams have seen Rutgers win seven times.

NCAAB	Overall	PF	PA	N. Pts	Home	Away	Strk
Northwestern	8-7	1191	1062	129	7-4	1-3	2L
Rutgers	8-8	1109	1169	-60	8-3	0-5	1L

View Full Standings

Northwestern vs Rutgers Prediction & Picks

Prepare for Northwestern vs Rutgers with our expert betting guide featuring a trusted match prediction, a correct score recommendation and a well-crafted bet builder.

Game Prediction

Northwestern really stand out in this college showdown. Back the favorites at -4.5 on the spread with the confidence that they cover the line at odds of -102.

The college hoops handicappers at Sportsgambler.com always keep close tabs on team news as it develops. We also rely on recent form and key stats to help shape our basketball picks and guide the final call.

Key Northwestern vs Rutgers stats:

• The +4.5 line hasn’t been covered by Rutgers in 6 of their last 10 games.

Northwestern -4.5 Probability

The best sportsbooks are estimating that there is a 50.5% likelihood of this pick delivering a return. Our cappers think there’s a stronger chance of success and calculate the probability to be closer to 60%. It is therefore regarded as a value bet.

Looking for more juice from your selection? By moving the line, you are able to get bigger betting odds although you will need to take a riskier wager.

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Our Game Prediction

Northwestern -4.5 @ -102 Bet Now

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Correct Score Prediction

Northwestern 80 - 72 Rutgers

Correct score betting might be tough to predict but there’s a massive potential return if you get it right. We’ll try the Wildcats to achieve a 80-72 win at huge odds.

Northwestern vs Rutgers Odds

The odds and lines are updated on a frequent basis. You might therefore find that they are different to the ones listed for the above betting predictions.

For this college game, the sportsbooks’ Moneyline betting odds mean Northwestern are -204 favorites to win and that means a 67% chance of landing a victory. For those wanting to back Rutgers, you will find +168 about the underdogs.

The spread currently stands at 4.5 and the total points line is 144.5. A bet on the Totals allows fans to use the latest basketball data to good effect. If you want to back Over 144.5, it’s -110.

College hoops fans are spoilt for choice thanks to the wide range of team props and game lines which are available for every contest on the coupon. Head to the top basketball sportsbooks and find the best value picks.

Moneyline

Northwestern

-204

Rutgers

+168

Point Spread

Northwestern -4.5

-102

Rutgers +4.5

-120

Total Points

Under 144.5

-110

Over 144.5

-110

The gambling sites also allow you to place player prop bets such as Points, Assists, Steals and Rebounds. This means you can focus on an individual player’s performance rather than wager on the actual outcome of the game in question.

Micro betting is an exciting way to wager on college basketball. There are many live lines and it’s a simple case of predicting what is going to happen. Next Field Goal, where you select if the shot will be a two or three-pointer are among the options.

Latest regular season and playoff games stats.

Northwestern Stats

Rutgers Stats

Moneyline

• 4 wins and 6 defeats in the last 10 games
• 4 wins and 6 defeats in the last 10 games on the road

Moneyline

• 4 wins and 6 defeats in the last 10 games
• 7 wins and 3 defeats in the last 10 home games

Point Spread

• -4.5 Betting Line: Have covered the spread in 3 of the last 10 games
• -4.5 Betting Line on the Road: Have covered the spread in 3 of the last 10 games on the road

Point Spread

• +4.5 Betting Line: Have covered the spread in 4 of the last 10 games
• +4.5 Betting Line at Home: Have covered the spread in 7 of the last 10 home games

Total Points

• Game Totals: An average of 151.40 pts in the previous 10 games
• Game Totals on the Road: An average of 139.60 pts in the previous 10 games on the road
• Over 144.5: Covered in 7 of the previous 10 games
• Over 144.5 on the Road: Covered in 3 of the previous 10 games on the road
• Team Totals: Have scored an average of 77.60 pts and allowed 73.80 pts in the last 10 games
• Team Totals on the Road: Have scored an average of 69.40 pts and allowed 70.20 pts in the last 10 games on the road

Total Points

• Game Totals: An average of 143.90 pts in the previous 10 games
• Game Totals at Home: An average of 143.10 pts in the previous 10 home games
• Over 144.5: Covered in 5 of the previous 10 games
• Over 144.5 at Home: Covered in 6 of the previous 10 home games
• Team Totals: Have scored an average of 67.80 pts and allowed 76.10 pts in the last 10 games
• Team Totals at Home: Have scored an average of 73.10 pts and allowed 70.00 pts in the last 10 home games

NCAAB Table Select Season 2025/20262024/20252023/20242022/20232021/20222020/20212019/2020

Big Ten	Overall	PF	PA	N. Pts	Home	Away	Strk
Nebraska	16-0	1299	1063	236	13-0	3-0	16W
Purdue	15-1	1383	1089	294	12-1	3-0	7W
Michigan	14-1	1419	1027	392	10-1	4-0	1L
Michigan State	14-2	1262	1032	230	11-1	3-1	2W
USC	13-3	1349	1224	125	8-1	5-2	1W
Illinois	12-3	1301	1010	291	9-3	3-0	4W
Iowa	12-3	1197	912	285	11-0	1-3	1L
Indiana	12-4	1352	1088	264	11-2	1-2	1L
Ohio State	11-4	1256	1070	186	7-3	4-1	1W
UCLA	11-5	1262	1105	157	10-1	1-4	1W
Wisconsin	11-5	1329	1200	129	9-1	2-4	2W
Minnesota	10-6	1168	1057	111	9-4	1-2	1L
Washington	9-6	1226	1096	130	6-1	3-5	2L
Penn State	9-7	1250	1206	44	8-5	1-2	3L
Northwestern	8-7	1191	1062	129	7-4	1-3	2L
Oregon	8-8	1227	1172	55	7-4	1-4	2L
Rutgers	8-8	1109	1169	-60	8-3	0-5	1L
Maryland	7-9	1174	1239	-65	6-4	1-5	3L

• Overall = Overall Wins-Losses
• PF = Total Points For
• PA = Total Points Against
• N. Pts = Point Differential
• Home = Home Record
• Away = Away Record
• Strk = Current Streak

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