The Texas A&M Aggies take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in Las Vegas, NV, as part of the Players Era Festival. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on truTV.
Texas A&M is favored by 5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -205. The total is set at 150.5 points.
Here’s my Texas A&M vs. Rutgers predictions and college basketball picks for November 30, 2024.
Texas A&M vs Rutgers Prediction
My Pick: Texas A&M -4.5
My Texas A&M vs Rutgers best bet is on the Aggies spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Texas A&M vs Rutgers Odds, Pick
| Texas A&M Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-5 -110 | 150.5 -110o / -110u | -205 |
| Rutgers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5 -110 | 150.5 -110o / -110u | +170 |
- Texas A&M vs Rutgers spread: Texas A&M -5
- Texas A&M vs Rutgers over/under: 150.5 points
- Texas A&M vs Rutgers moneyline: Texas A&M -205, Rutgers +170
- Texas A&M vs Rutgers best bet: Texas A&M -4.5
My Texas A&M vs Rutgers College Basketball Betting Preview
The Rutgers everybody has waited anxiously to see finally showed up in the last two games during the Players Era Festival. The Scarlet Knights narrowly beat Notre Dame and gave Alabama a real scare, losing 95-90.
Dylan Harper is doing some pretty unheralded things for a freshman. He scored 36 and 37 points in the games against Notre Dame and Alabama, respectively, while shooting better than 54% from the field.
The 6-foot-6 guard is a load to handle when he gets a head of steam, and that's evidence by how many free throws he took across the two games (30).
The problem is Rutgers' success boils down to if Harper and fellow five-star freshman Ace Bailey perform. No other Rutgers player averages more than eight points per game, so there is a clear pecking order on who is getting the shots in Piscataway.
The biggest impact from Rutgers' shaky interior play is containing the glass; Notre Dame and Alabama won the rebounding battle over Rutgers by double digits. The big man duo of Emmanuel Ogbole and Lathan Sommerville combine for 7.5 rebounds per game in about 33 minutes.
That's a big stain for Rutgers.
The idea of Rutgers beating one of the best rebounding teams in the country seems pretty far-fetched. Steve Pikiell's squad ranks 275th in defensive rebounding rate and 217th in offensive rebounding rate.
As we saw in the last two Rutgers games, opponents can and will take advantage of second chances.
Rutgers Basketball
The Aggies have four forwards who average more rebounds than Sommerville and Ogbole. They start Solomon Washington and Henry Coleman III, but the drop off from the starters to Andersson Garcia and Pharrel Payne is minimal — if there is even a drop.
All four of those players would start for Rutgers, so that's a pretty noticeable advantage.
Texas A&M's first-shot offense is pretty poor, though, as guards Wade Taylor IV and Zhuric Phelps tend to force jumpers.
We know Taylor can get hot, though. He's averaging over 14 points per game and scored 15+ points in his past five games.
One of the biggest improvements for Texas A&M from last year to this year is on defense. The Aggies struggled to get consistent stops in 2023, but they have turned a corner in 2024, ranking 28th in defensive efficiency.
Opponents shot 33% from 3 and 50% from 2 in 2023-24, but those numbers have dwindled to 29% from 3 and 45% from 2 this season. Though it's about five percent for each stat, it's enough to make a huge difference.
Texas A&M vs Rutgers Betting Analysis
You couldn't draw a worse matchup for Rutgers, as Texas A&M rebounds 45% of its misses.
The Aggies should make a living on the glass, and their deep rotation of bigs should give Rutgers fits.
If Rutgers wants to compete, it will need a dazzling performance from Bailey and Harper, while somebody like Jordan Derkack or Jeremiah Williams steps up.
I have to back the Aggies for those reasons.
