Vegas Play of the Day: Rutgers at Northwestern

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017 | 2 a.m.

We’re entering the third season of the annual South Point-lined Play of the Day competition, effective July 1.

Starting bankrolls have reset to $10,000, with the maximum bet being to win $1,000 and the minimum wager $300. Ray Brewer won the 2015-2016 season, after Taylor Bern prevailed in 2014-2015. Bern stepped away in the middle of the 2016-2017 season with a 16-12 record and $13,317 bankroll, with Mike Grimala taking his place.

Rutgers plus-13 at Northwestern, $660 to win $600: Yes, I am betting Rutgers — the worst team in the Big Ten and one of the nation’s worst scoring teams at 66 points per game.

Rutgers has lost six of its last seven games. But, give me 13 points and I will support the Scarlet Knights against a fading Northwestern squad. Northwestern was on the verge of earning the program’s first NCAA Tournament bid, but has been awful in the past two weeks in dropping three of four games. That includes a 10-point loss at home to Maryland and a six-point setback to Illinois.

For as bad as Rutgers has played, guard Corey Sanders continues to post respectable numbers. He leads the Scarlet Knights in scoring at 13 points per game, and also supplies about three assists and rebounds. Sanders will present matchup problems all game, and should keep Rutgers within striking distance to cover the betting number.

Current Standings: Keefer (38-28-2, $10,941), Grimala (5-5, $10,000), Brewer (23-23-1, $8,315), Granger (9-11-1, $7,520)

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21