The Wagner Seahawks take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in Piscataway, New Jersey. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
Both of these teams did not play on opening night, making this their first game of the new season.
In this matchup, the Scarlet Knights are favored by 18 points on the spread with a moneyline of -2000. The total is also set at 129.5 points..
Here are my Wagner vs. Rutgers predictions and college basketball picks for Wednesday.
Editor's Note: Ace Bailey to miss season opener due to injury.
Wagner vs Rutgers Prediction
My Pick: Wagner +20.5
My Wagner vs Rutgers best bet is on the Seahawks spread, with the best odds currently available at ESPN BET. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Wagner vs Rutgers Odds
| Wagner Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+18 -110 | 129 -110o / -110u | +1000 |
| Rutgers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-18 +100 | 129 -110o / -110u | -2000 |
- Wagner vs Rutgers spread: Rutgers -18
- Wagner vs Rutgers over/under: 129.5
- Wagner vs Rutgers moneyline: Rutgers -2000, Wagner +1000
- Wagner vs Rutgers best bet: Wagner +20.5
Spread
I like the Seahawks to cover as 20-point road 'dogs in a potential points-at-a-premium battle.
Moneyline
I'm passing on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm passing on the total.
My Pick: Wagner +20.5 (Play to +18)
Wagner vs Rutgers College Basketball Betting Preview
Rutgers is a very enticing squad.
Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper could be flat-out superstars from day one.
That’s certain on the defensive end, as the two are lengthy, high-level, inside-out, switchable defenders who could be among the nation’s best, especially with defensive guru Steve Pikiell coaching them up.
On offense, Harper is a bruising downhill driver and playmaker, while Bailey is a smooth three-level bucket-getter.
But I’m far from sold on the Scarlet Knights.
Talent goes a long way in college hoops. Still, experience and continuity are often equally important — even more so in the early season, when more cohesive teams will overperform opponents still hunting for chemistry and identity.
And it’s important to mention how young the Scarlet Knights are. Only 24% of last year’s minutes return. They’re the fourth-least experienced team in the Big Ten.
Their two best players are freshmen, another starter is a sophomore and Pikiell is relying heavily on four low-major transfers for bench minutes (Zach Martini from Princeton, Tyson Acuff from Eastern Michigan, Jordan Derkack from Merrimack and PJ Hayes IV from San Diego).
Teams like this can often play up and down to competition, showcasing a brilliant collection of talent on one night while looking confused and lost on another.
I think they might suffer the latter fate on opening night against Wagner.
The Seahawks won the NEC last year. They return almost 70% of their minutes from that squad, and their top 11 guys are upperclassmen.
While they lost their top three scorers, four crucial contributors who missed most of last season due to injury return (Rahmir Moore, Zaire Williams, Rob Taylor II, Di’Andre Howell-South) to form a strong core around Javier Ezquerra, Tyje Kelton and Keyontae Lewis.
Wagner’s roster has an average of 2.6 years of college basketball experience, while Rutger’s has 1.6. That might be the difference between a 15-point loss and a 30-point win on opening night.
Also, I’m not sold on the Scarlet Knights’ offense. Harper’s jump shoot is still a work in progress, and there’s not much shooting on the squad. Spacing could be an issue, especially on opening night against Wagner’s zone-heavy, press-heavy defense.
Pikell has never been a great offensive coach — his Scarlet Knights have never cracked the top 70 nationally in offensive efficiency. Last year’s Scarlet Knights were among the worst high-major shooting teams I’ve ever seen, finishing 357th nationally in effective field goal percentage (43%).
They specifically flailed against zone and pressure schemes, scoring .75 PPP in 353 possessions against both (bottom 15 nationally).
In short, Pikiell’s defensive-minded approach doesn’t profile well as a big favorite. While I expect the offense to improve immensely with the progression of Harper and Bailey, this relatively youthful, inexperienced roster could look clunky on that end early — especially on opening night against an experienced, extended zone pressure defense that will keep them uncomfortable.
Conversely, Wagner profiles well as a big underdog. The offense leaves much to be desired, but it plays solid defense (82nd in eFG% allowed last year) while grinding down offensive possessions in the half-court via an array of motion sets (third-slowest pace nationally).
Wagner's steady ball-handling is vital to this handicap. The Seahawks won’t turn the ball over, keeping possessions down while preventing Pikiell’s press-happy defense from earning cheap buckets.
We should see an ugly, low-scoring rock fight, but the total is far too low to play.
Instead, I’m taking the 20 points with an uber-experienced Wagner squad against an inexperienced Rutgers one in a points-at-a-premium battle. The projection market finds this number a tad high, with KenPom and Bart Torvik projecting Rutgers as a 17-point favorite, while Haslametrics projects it as short as -14.
This one is gross, so I hope Harper and Bailey don’t make me pay.
