Although talk about expanding the NCAA Tournament is prevalent, the current field will be capped at 68 positions. That’s the bad news for a team like Rutgers as the Scarlett Knights are 14-14 and 11th in the Big Ten standings entering their contest against the No. 15 ranked Michigan Wolverines (21-6, 13-3 Big Ten).
Rutgers desperately needs to continue their two-game winning streak on Thursday against the Wolverines to make a serious run at the NCAA tournament, especially with Purdue and Minnesota next week remaining on their slate.
The Wolverines are locks for the Big Dance next month. What’s at stake for Michigan is seeding in the conference tournament and NCAA field as a strong run to close out their season would give them wins against a pair of ranked opponents in Maryland and Michigan State.
Will Michigan run over the Scarlett Knights, or will Rutgers make this another close contest like these two teams’ first matchup? We’ll cover that and our three favorite player prop bets for Thursday’s game.
Danny Wolf is half of Michigan’s vaunted interior presence. The junior seven-footer is averaging nearly a double-double for the Wolverines with 12.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per night. He’s recorded a double-double in 12 of his team’s 27 games, including his previous outing against Rutgers.
When the center first encountered Rutgers, Wolf finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds to pace the Wolverines. A similar performance would be expected at home as Michigan feeds the ball inside, allowing Wolf to finish with at least 25 points and rebounds combined and cover his player prop bet on Thursday.
Freshman Dylan Harper is having a fantastic season for Rutgers thus far. The 6-foot-6 guard is leading the team with 19.4 points per game, adding 4.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists each night for the Scarlett Knights.
Harper has had an up-and-down showing against ranked teams this year. He poured in 37 points against Alabama, 28 against Illinois, and 20 against Maryland. In matchups against Michigan State, Purdue, and Texas A&M, he scored 30 combined points.
Michigan is known for its defensive prowess, especially against smaller opponents. While the 6-foot-6 guard should get some outside looks, he’ll be forced to stay outside the paint. Expect him to finish under 18 points tonight as he fails to cover his player prop bet.
Center Vladislav Goldin is the other half of Michigan’s twin towers. The 7-foot-1 senior is recording 15.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists for the Wolverines this year, but he is ninth in the country with his 63.5 percent field goal percentage.
Goldin has been anything but golden down the stretch for the Wolverines. He’s recorded eight or more rebounds three times out of his past nine outings. Expect him to be solid but not spectacular, finishing with seven or fewer rebounds and failing to cover Thursday’s prop bet.
The Scarlett Knights are fighting for their postseason lives against Michigan. A loss to the Wolverines would also force Rutgers to seek an NIT berth to finish up the season, giving the school a little extra incentive to win this contest.
While winning is unlikely, making this a close game – like the team did in their original contest – is not out of the question. Expect Rutgers to hang in this game until the end, keeping Michigan from winning this contest by nine or more points.