Rutgers has turned a corner with their football program, but the basketball program is yet to put itself on the map. Find out if this program is going in the right direction in Jimmy's 2007 Rutgers Scarlet Knights betting preview. SportsBetting.com has 50 to 1 odds that Rutgers will win the NCAA Basketball Championship.
Rutgers was 10-19 last season and had just 3 wins in the Big East power conference. Rutgers will be deeper with more talent, but every one else in the conference has improved as well to keep the Knights from moving up in the standings. Rutgers' offense ranked last in the Big East and 307th nationally. Head coach Fred Hill is hoping that star freshman recruit Corey Chandler will help bring some offense to town. He then landed point guard Mike Coburn to help boost the team's distribution numbers after finishing last in the country in assists per game. 6'9'' 265-pound fifth year senior Byron Joynes steps back in the lineup after sitting out last year with a medical red shirt.
His presence should immediately help out on the boards.
Junior JR Inman, the 6'9'' junior forward, is the key to Rutgers'
success this season. He averaged 12.0 points per game, to lead the teams, and 7.3 rebounds per contest as well. Sophomore Hamady N'diaye will see plenty of the basketball at 6'11''. He is a defensive presence who Hill wants to get much more involved offensively this season. Swingman Jaron Griffin averaged 8.0 points per game last season and gives Rutgers another capable scorer.
Guard depth is not an issue, but these guys just aren't that good compared to the explosive backcourts throughout the Big East. Junior Anthony Farmer is a two-year starter at the point, but all he has shown Hill is that he is not quick enough or savvy enough to compete with the league's elite. Courtney Nelson, is a former New Jersey Player of the Year. He was a major disappointment to the program last season and will needs to own up to his reputation as a capable scorer.
Don't be surprised if Hill gets fed up as the losses mount and goes with an all frosh backcourt of Mike Coburn and Corey Chandler.
Rutgers is hoping to have a 20 points per game scorer in Chandler who was regarded as a top 100 national recruit.
Rutgers is likely two to three seasons away from a winning season.
The expansion of the Big East schedule from 16 to 18 games couldn't have come at a worse time. A .500 year would be a miracle for coach Hill's team but we don't think it will happen.
Sign up for Jimmy Boyd’s season package and crush your book all season long. Make sure you check out the rest of Jimmy’s predictions to beat the college basketball odds in this year.
Checkout our live College Hoops at Point-Spreads.com showcasing real time odds of the world's top online sportsbooks all in one easy to use location. Get line movements in real time and find out who has the best college basketball betting odds.
SportsBetting.com has posted the odds on the NCAA Championship:
Air Force 300 – 1
Akron 300 – 1
Alabama 300 – 1
Arizona 50 – 1
Arizona St 300 – 1
Arkansas 75 – 1
Auburn 300 – 1
BYU 200 – 1
Boston College 200 – 1
Bradley 300 – 1
Butler 100 – 1
California 100 – 1
Clemson 75 – 1
Colorado St 300 – 1
Creighton 300 – 1
DePaul 200 – 1
Drexel 300 – 1
Duke 35 – 1
Florida 50 – 1
Florida St 300 – 1
Fresno St 300 – 1
George Washington 300 – 1
Georgetown 15 – 1
Georgia 100 – 1
Georgia Tech 100 – 1
Geroge Mason 100 – 1
Gonzaga 50 – 1
Hofstra 300 – 1
Houston 200 – 1
Illinois 300 – 1
Illinois St 300 – 1
Indiana 20 – 1
Iowa 300 – 1
Kansas 10 – 1
Kansas St 60 – 1
Kent St 300 – 1
Kentucky 40 – 1
LSU 300 – 1
Louisville 15 – 1
Marquette 40 – 1
Maryland 50 – 1
Memphis 7 – 1
Miami FL 300 – 1
Miami OH 300 – 1
Michigan 300 – 1
Michigan St 20 – 1
Minnesota 300 – 1
Mississippi 300 – 1
Mississippi St 100 – 1
Missouri 200 – 1
Missouri St 300 – 1
Nevada 200 – 1
New Mexico 300 – 1
New Mexico St 200 – 1
North Carolina 6 – 1
North Carolina St 60 – 1
Notre Dame 200 – 1
Ohio St 50 – 1
Oklahoma 100 – 1
Oklahoma St 300 – 1
Old Dominion 300 – 1
Oregon 40 – 1
Oregon St 300 – 1
Pittsburgh 200 – 1
Providence 300 – 1
Purdue 100 – 1
San Diego St 300 – 1
South Carolina 300 – 1
Southern Illinois 75 – 1
St Johns 300 – 1
St Josephs 200 – 1
Stanford 100 – 1
Syracuse 40 – 1
Temple 300 – 1
Tennessee 12 – 1
Texas 75 – 1
Texas A&M 50 – 1
Texas Tech 100 – 1
Toledo 300 – 1
U CONN 50 – 1
U MASS 300 – 1
UCLA 6 – 1
UCSB 300 – 1
UNLV 300 – 1
USC 75 – 1
Utah 300 – 1
Utah St 300 – 1
VA Commonwealth 100 – 1
Vanderbilt 200 – 1
Villanova 60 – 1
Virginia 100 – 1
Virginia Tech 300 – 1
Wake Forest 300 – 1
Washington 100 – 1
Washington St 40 – 1
West Virginia 100 – 1
Wichita St 300 – 1
Wisconsin 100 – 1
Xavier 100 – 1
zx Field (Any Other Team) 50 – 1
