Rutgers vs Michigan Pick – Basketball Predictions & Odds 2/23/23
Michigan Wolverines (15-12) vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (17-10)
February 23, 2023 8:30 pm EDT
The Line: Rutgers Scarlet Knights -5.5 / Michigan Wolverines +5.5; Over/Under: 134.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Michigan Wolverines and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights meet Thursday in college basketball action from the RAC. Michigan is 15-12 on the year so far. The Wolverines beat Michigan State in their last outing on Saturday. As for Rutgers, they’re sitting at 17-10 this season and coming off a win over Wisconsin. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Michigan Wolverines
Michigan managed to go a spotty 11-9 over their first 20 games this year. The Wolverines are 4-3 in the seven games since with wins over Northwestern, Ohio State, Nebraska and Michigan State alongside Penn State, Indiana and Wisconsin.
In the Michigan State matchup back on Saturday, the Wolverines trailed 36-33 at the break. Michigan bounced back on a 51-36 second-half run to take the 84-72 victory. Dug McDaniel was the top scorer on 18 points, and Kobe Bufkin added 17 points in the win.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Over on the Knights’ side, they went 14-6 over their first 20 outings. The Knights are currently on a 3-4 run as well with losses to Iowa, Indiana, Illinois and Nebraska. The Scarlet Knights beat Minnesota, Michigan State and Wisconsin in that time.
In the Saturday matchup versus Wisconsin, the Knights posted a 36-34 lead after the first half. In the second, Rutgers was outscored 23-22 but still held on for the win 58-57. Cam Spencer was the high man on 22 points and five rebounds.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll stick with Rutgers in this one. You could make a case either way here, though; it should be a good matchup. The Scarlet Knights had a tough time dispatching Wisconsin in their last game, but they managed to snap a three-game losing streak with the road victory. Rutgers has played well at home lately, going 4-1 over the last five at the RAC. As for Michigan, they’ve been all over the place lately so it’s hard to know what to expect. The Wolverines haven’t played very well on the road lately (outside of the Northwestern win on February 2) so I’m leaning toward Rutgers cover-wise. It’ll be a fun one to watch, though.
