Penn State vs Rutgers Prediction 3/8/26 College Basketball Picks Today

In this article, we will formulate a Penn State vs Rutgers Prediction for this college basketball matchup on Sunday, March 8^th. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this college basketball matchup.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Preview

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have a 12-18 overall record and a 5-14 record in the Big Ten. They are coming off a 91-87 road loss against Michigan State and their previous three games were a 69-65 road win against Maryland, a 79-72 home win against Washington and an 80-61 road loss against Minnesota.

Offensively, Rutgers averages 70.8 points per game, while allowing 75.9 points per game defensively. The Scarlet Knights shoot with 42% from the field and grab 32.9 rebounds per game, while dishing out 11.8 assists per game. They average 3.3 blocks per game and 6.2 steals per game defensively.

Tariq Francis leads Rutgers in scoring, with an average of 16.9 points per game, while shooting with 42.7% from the field and 90.8% from the free throw line, adding a team-high 2.8 assists. Emmanuel Ogbole is the team’s leading rebounder with 6.2 per game.

Penn State Nittany Lions Preview

The Penn State Nittany Lions have a 12-18 overall record and a 3-16 record in the Big Ten. They are coming off a 94-62 home loss against Ohio State and their previous three games were a 71-69 home win against Iowa, an 87-64 road loss against Nebraska and an 85-72 home loss against Rutgers.

Offensively, Penn State averages 74.3 points per game, while allowing 79.6 points per game defensively. The Nittany Lions shoot with 47% from the field and grab 29 rebounds per game, while dishing out 12.6 assists per game. They average 1.6 blocks per game and 7.1 steals per game defensively.

Freddie Dilione V leads Penn State in scoring, with an average of 14 points per game, while shooting with 47.1% from the field and 84.6% from the free throw line. Ivan Juric is the team’s leading rebounder with 5.2 per game. Kayden Mingo leads the team in assists with 4.3 per game.

Penn State Nittany Lions @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights Betting Trends: March 8, 2026

Why the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will win

• Penn State has lost eight of its last nine road games.
• Rutgers has won five of its last six day games at Jersey Mike’s Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Penn State has lost the first half in nine of its last 10 road games against Conference opponents.

Why the Penn State Nittany Lions will win

• Rutgers has lost each of its last five games following a road loss.
• Rutgers has lost the first half in 21 of its last 25 day games against Conference opponents.

Total Points Facts

• Fourteen of Rutgers’ last 15 day games against Conference opponents at Jersey Mike’s Arena have produced a total of 148 or fewer points.
• Ten of Penn State’s last 11 road games against Conference opponents have produced a total of 151+ points.

Penn State vs Rutgers Prediction

In this Penn State vs Rutgers Prediction, Rutgers is coming as -5 home favorites. Both teams have identical overall records but Rutgers have been better against the spread. They have both been struggling lately, as they are 1-3 and 2-6 in their last 4 and 8 games respectively, so I see no value on either side. Both have been playing some higher-scoring games lately, going for 15-5 to the over in their last 20 games combined and their previous meeting this season also went over the total with 157 total points. Take the over 150.5 points in this one.