Rutgers vs Wisconsin Prediction 1-6-25 College Basketball Picks

The Wisconsin Badgers and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights meet Monday in college basketball action from the RAC. Here’s a Rutgers vs Wisconsin prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Rutgers vs Wisconsin pick.

Wisconsin Badgers Betting Preview

The Badgers’ season kicked off on a very nice run with victories in each of the team’s first eight outings. Those wins came courtesy of Holy Cross, Montana State, Appalachian State, Arizona, Texas Rio Grande Valley, Central Florida, Pittsburgh, and Chicago State. A three-game losing streak ensued after that, however. Those losses were versus Michigan, Marquette, and Illinois in succession. Since then Wisconsin has gotten back on track with three straight wins. The victories in that time have come courtesy of Butler, Detroit, and Iowa for an 11-3 overall record.

In the Iowa game back on Friday, Wisconsin came out of the locker room with a 54-43 edge. The Badgers posted a stellar 62 points from there across the second half, resulting in a dominant victory 116-85 in the end. Topping the team was John Blackwell with 32 points, eight boards, and five assists. Nolan Winter added 18 points with eight rebounds in 25 minutes of work, and Steven Crowl had 14 points with seven rebounds and three assists. Kamari McGee topped the bench players with 12 points, four rebounds, and four assists in 21 minutes.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Betting Preview

Over on the Rutgers side, they also started out the year on a winning streak—albeit a shorter one. The Knights beat Wagner, Saint Peter’s, Monmouth, and Merrimack, then fell to Kennesaw State before another win over Notre Dame in overtime. A losing streak versus tough teams in Alabama, Texas A&M, and Ohio State came after that, then a couple of wins over Penn State and Seton Hall consecutively. Since then Rutgers is 1-2 over their last trio with a win over Columbia sandwiched between losses to Princeton and Indiana for an 8-6 run so far.

Matched up against Indiana on Thursday, the Scarlet Knights held a 41-34 deficit by the end of the first half. Rutgers didn’t end up getting any closer on a 43-40 second half and would fall by the end of the game 84-74. Ace Bailey did the lion’s share of the work with over half the team’s scoring on 39 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, and one steal. Jamichael Davis was the next-closest player with nine points and three assists, while Jeremiah Williams had eight points with eight rebounds and three assists. Tyson Acuff led the bench scoring seven points, two rebounds and one steal in 20 minutes on the floor during the defeat.

Why the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will win

• Rutgers has won 24 of its last 25 games at Jersey Mike’s Arena when playing with a rest advantage.
• Wisconsin has lost each of its last four road night games against the Big Ten Conference.
• Rutgers has won the first half in five of its last six night games at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

Why the Wisconsin Badgers will win

• Rutgers has lost six of its last seven games against the Big Ten Conference.
• Wisconsin has won 10 of its last 12 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Wisconsin has won the first half in each of its last four night games against Rutgers.

Rutgers vs Wisconsin Prediction

I’ll stay with Wisconsin. The Badgers are looking good during this current win streak and dispatched a good Iowa team rather easily in their last outing. Wisconsin posted a blistering 64.5 percent shooting from the field in that one along with 21-of-31 (67.7 percent) from outside and 15-of-17 (88.2 percent) from the line. The 37-21 rebounding edge helped as well, but Wisconsin also coughed up 13 turnovers for 21 Hawkeyes points. Still, that makes 74 or more points in five straight games. Granted, the Badgers are giving up quite a bit on the other side lately as well: 74 or more points in four of those five.

As for Rutgers, they faced a tough opponent in Indiana during their last outing and came away with a spotty loss. The Knights shot 44.3 percent from the floor in that one with a rough 14-of-23 (60.9 percent) from the line and a 48-36 rebounding discrepancy. Their 11 turnovers resulted in 19 Hoosiers points, and only one player finished in double-figures (or made much of a difference at all scoring-wise). Rutgers is going to have their hands full here as well, and I don’t think the Knights will keep much of a pace.