How to watch Penn State vs. Rutgers basketball game
Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Penn State looks much better today on their home court. A win is still up for grabs for either team after one quarter, but Penn State is up 37-35 over Rutgers.
Penn State entered the game with four straight defeats and they’re well on their way to making it five. Can they turn things around, or will Rutgers hand them another loss? Only time will tell.
Who’s Playing
Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Penn State Nittany Lions
Current Records: Rutgers 10-8, Penn State 12-6
How To Watch
- When: Monday, January 20, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Bryce Jordan Center — University Park, Pennsylvania
- TV: Peacock
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $10.00
What to Know
Rutgers and Penn State are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2019, but not for long. Both will face off in a Big Ten battle at 6:30 p.m. ET on Monday at Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions are favored, but seeing as the odds didn’t stop the Scarlet Knights in their last game, maybe the squad has another upset up their sleeve.
Rutgers’ offense and defense might be a bit winded after their high-scoring matchup with Nebraska on Thursday. Rutgers skirted past Nebraska 85-82. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers can attribute much of their success to Ace Bailey, who shot 4-for-7 from deep and dropped a double-double on 24 points and 11 rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Bailey a new career-high in assists (four). Another player making a difference was Dylan Grant, who went 7 for 8 en route to 15 points.
Rutgers smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Penn State’s recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their fourth straight defeat. They fell 90-85 to Michigan State. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Despite their loss, Penn State saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Ace Baldwin Jr., who almost dropped a double-double on 20 points and nine assists, was perhaps the best of all. Baldwin Jr.’s performance made up for a slower game against Illinois two weeks ago. The team also got some help courtesy of Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who went 5 for 8 en route to 13 points plus three blocks.
Rutgers’ victory ended a seven-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 10-8. As for Penn State, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-6.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Rutgers hasn’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 76.8 points per game. However, it’s not like Penn State struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 84.4. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
While only Rutgers took care of their fans the last time they played, both teams pleased bettors by covering the spread. Going forward, Penn State is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 6.5 points. Rutgers is a gamble against the spread as they sit with a 6-11-1 ATS record.
Odds
Penn State is a solid 6.5-point favorite against Rutgers, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 6.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 158 points.
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Series History
Penn State and Rutgers both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Dec 10, 2024 – Rutgers 80 vs. Penn State 76
- Jan 31, 2024 – Penn State 61 vs. Rutgers 46
- Feb 26, 2023 – Rutgers 59 vs. Penn State 56
- Jan 24, 2023 – Rutgers 65 vs. Penn State 45
- Mar 06, 2022 – Rutgers 59 vs. Penn State 58
- Jan 11, 2022 – Penn State 66 vs. Rutgers 49
- Jan 21, 2021 – Penn State 75 vs. Rutgers 67
- Feb 26, 2020 – Penn State 65 vs. Rutgers 64
- Jan 07, 2020 – Rutgers 72 vs. Penn State 61
- Mar 06, 2019 – Penn State 66 vs. Rutgers 65
