Rutgers vs. Michigan State Same-Game Parlay for 1/19

Rutgers has officially cracked the top 25 — No. 23 officially — and to be honest, it's about time. The Scarlet Knights upset No. 1 Purdue the day after New Year's, have won seven of eight and are 13-5 on the season. We'd say that's pretty good. 

And though we're avoiding the moneyline in our SGP for Rutgers vs. Michigan State on Thursday, we're going to take the Scarlet Knights on the spread via the alternate line as our most confident leg.

The Scarlet Knights have struggled at times on the road, but we like them to cover a 9.5-point spread against Michigan State. Rutgers has just one double-digit loss this season, and Tom Izzo's Spartans are far from elite this year. MSU already has six losses and have dropped back-to-back games, so even though we wouldn't be surprised to see Rutgers pull off the road upset, we're going to be conservative, and just take the Scarlet Knights on the alternate spread. 

One thing we know about Rutgers is that they're used to playing in a ton of close games, and we would be shocked if Thursday is any different. Five of the Scarlet Knights' seven conference games have been within two possessions, and with Cam Spencer playing his best basketball as of late, he alone might keep Rutgers within nine points. 

As for the last leg of our SGP, take the over of 117.5 points in this one. Rutgers has failed to score at least 60 points just once this season, and seven of Rutgers' last eight games have gone over 118 total points. Make no mistake about it, Spencer and the Knights are starting to score more consistently, and that shouldn't change on Thursday, even against a tough defensive team like Spartans.

Meanwhile, Michigan State has scored at least 60 points in 16 of their 18 games this season, and have gone over the combined total of 118 points in every game except one. We know Rutgers is the No. 1 defensive team in the Big Ten and that both teams rank in the bottom of the conference in points per game, but that's why we modified the total points via the alternate line. The over of 117.5 total points might not hit until the final two minutes of the game, but it's worth betting, even if it's going to make you sweat for a while. 

The Bet: Rutgers (+9.5) vs. Michigan State & Combined Total (over 117.5 points) (-125 odds via BetMGM)

Bet $125 to win $100