Rutgers vs Minnesota Odds, Prediction: The First-Half Bet to Make

Let's dive into the Rutgers vs. Minnesota odds and make a prediction for Sunday's college basketball game in the Big Ten.

Minnesota and Rutgers will meet on the hardwood Sunday night for a Big Ten showdown in Minneapolis.

The Scarlet Knights have rattled off four straight wins to improve to 14-10 overall and 6-7 in conference play. Meanwhile, the Golden Gophers are the best team against the spread in the country this season, and they are always tough at home.

Even after the recent string of results, I struggle to trust the visitors in what should be a great game in the Big Ten.

After winning just two of six to start conference play, it was starting to look like a lost season for coach Steve Pikiell's team. However, the recent results should give the Scarlet Knights life to end the year.

The victories include two on the road at Michigan and Maryland before upsetting No. 9 Wisconsin at home. The run was capped off by a three-point win over a tough Northwestern squad.

One of the big reasons behind the turnaround has been the insertion of Jeremiah Williams into the lineup. The guard made his debut Feb. 3 following a 709-day wait between games due to injury and NCAA ineligibility.

Williams was named the Big Ten Player of the Week after averaging 16 points, five rebounds and four assists over the two victories last week. He has paced the team in scoring since his return, which makes you wonder where Rutgers would be had he played for most of the season.

This has been an impressive turnaround for third-year head coach Ben Johnson. The Golden Gophers have already eclipsed their win totals from the past two seasons, and their six conference wins match his previous campaigns combined.

Ranking 80th in the NET, Johnson’s team needs a few more wins to clinch a place in a postseason tournament.

For that to happen, Minnesota needs Cam Christie to stay hot. The freshman has scored in double digits in five straight games. Christie is second on the team in scoring (11.3 PPG) and 3-pointers made (50) while shooting 45.1% from the field and 42% from beyond the arc.

It helps when you have an elite distributor in Elijah Hawkins to get you great shots. Hawkins tops the nation in assists per game (7.6) and ranks fifth nationally in total assists (175).

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Everyone knows about Minnesota’s ATS record at this point. With the key addition to the Rutgers squad, it keeps me away from betting the full-game lines, but I do see value for the Golden Gophers in the first half.

My best bet is for Minnesota to cover the first-half spread at -2 or better.

On the season, Rutgers ranks 194th in average first-half margin at -0.5, which drops to -5.1 on the road. These trends show even stronger in Big Ten play. In conference action, the Scarlet Knights have been losing at halftime in all six road games by an average of 8.2 points per game. It also doesn’t help that Rutgers is 305th in scoring in the opening periods of contests.

These struggles to start games have also happened with Williams in the lineup. In his four games, the Scarlet Knights were losing at halftime in three of those, including both games on the road.

Meanwhile, Minnesota is 90th in average first-half margin at +2.9, which jumps to +6.5 at home. The Golden Gophers are also in the top 70 in scoring in the opening period.

I may not be backing the nation’s best cover team on the full-game spread, but this is another way to play Minnesota on Sunday.

Pick: Minnesota 1H -2 or Better