Michigan State vs Rutgers College Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for March 5

The Michigan State Spartans (24-5, 14-4 Big Ten) will attempt to continue a four-game winning streak when they host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (12-17, 5-13 Big Ten) on March 5, 2026 at Jack Breslin Students Events Center.

Before you place your bet on this game at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

Michigan State vs. Rutgers Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Thursday, March 5, 2026
• Game time: 8 p.m. ET
• TV channel: Fox Sports 1
• Location: East Lansing, Michigan
• Arena: Jack Breslin Students Events Center

Michigan State vs. Rutgers Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Michigan State win (95.8%)

Before placing a bet on Thursday's Michigan State-Rutgers spread (Michigan State -18.5) or total (141.5 points), check out the betting trends and insights below.

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Michigan State vs. Rutgers: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• Michigan State is 16-13-0 ATS this season.
• Rutgers has won 14 games against the spread this season, while failing to cover 15 times.
• Michigan State covers the spread when it is an 18.5-point favorite or more 37.5% of the time. That's more often than Rutgers covers as an underdog of 18.5 or more (never covered this season).
• The Spartans have done a better job covering the spread in road games (5-4-0) than they have in home games (8-8-0).
• In 2025-26 against the spread, the Scarlet Knights have a lower winning percentage at home (.438, 7-9-0 record) than away (.500, 5-5-0).
• Against the spread, in conference action, Michigan State is 11-7-0 this year.
• Rutgers has beaten the spread 11 times in 18 Big Ten games.

Michigan State vs. Rutgers: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Michigan State has been the moneyline favorite in 23 games this season and has come away with the win 21 times (91.3%) in those contests.
• The Spartans have been a -4000 moneyline favorite on seven occasions this season and won every game.
• Rutgers has won 23.8% of the games this season it was the moneyline underdog (5-16).
• The Scarlet Knights have played as a moneyline underdog of +1400 or longer in only two games this season, which they lost both.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies Michigan State has a 97.6% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.

Michigan State vs. Rutgers Head-to-Head Comparison

• Michigan State put up 77.7 points per game and gave up 67.1 last season, ranking them 78th in the nation offensively and 44th on defense.
• On the glass, Michigan State was 10th-best in the nation in rebounds (36.7 per game) last year. It was 28th in rebounds conceded (28.2 per game).
• At 16.5 assists per game, Michigan State was 24th-best in the country last season.
• In terms of turnovers, Michigan State was 135th in the nation in committing them (10.7 per game) last year. It was 265th in forcing them (10.4 per game).
• On offense, Rutgers averaged 77 points per game (90th-ranked in college basketball) last season. It allowed 77.6 points per contest at the other end of the court (319th-ranked).
• With 31.9 rebounds per game, Rutgers ranked 182nd in college basketball. It ceded 32.9 rebounds per contest, which ranked 287th in college basketball.
• Last year Rutgers ranked 227th in college basketball in assists, dishing out 12.9 per game.
• Rutgers ranked 120th in the country with 10.5 turnovers per game last season. Meanwhile, it ranked 134th with 11.8 forced turnovers per game.

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