The Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in Las Vegas, NV, as part of the Players Era Festival. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET on TNT.
Notre Dame is favored by -5.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -245. The total is set at 140.5 points.
Here are my Notre Dame vs. Rutgers predictions and college basketball picks for November 25, 2025.
Notre Dame vs Rutgers Prediction
My Pick: Over 140.5 (Play to 144.5)
My Notre Dame vs Rutgers best bet is on the over. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Notre Dame vs. Rutgers Odds
| Notre Dame Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-5.5 -102 | 140.5 -110o / -110u | -245 |
| Rutgers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5.5 -120 | 140.5 -110o / -110u | +198 |
- Notre Dame vs Rutgers spread: Notre Dame -5.5
- Notre Dame vs Rutgers over/under: 140.5 points
- Notre Dame vs Rutgers moneyline: Notre Dame -245, Rutgers +198
Notre Dame vs Rutgers College Basketball Betting Preview
The Scarlet Knights are 4-2 straight-up this season and have lost two straight games to Central Connecticut State and Tennessee.
Before the Players Era Festival, the Scarlet Knights were clamping opponents to just 68 points per game on 47.4% shooting allowed — a notch above the 51.9% Notre Dame has surrendered in its four victories, though the Irish's pace has inflated those marks.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame sits at 4-2, riding a 86-79 nail-biter over Bellarmine, where Markus Burton erupted for 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting and Braeden Shrewsberry added 22 on 7-of-13 efficiency.
The Irish's backcourt has faltered in tighter spots, though, coughing up 79+ points in losses to Ohio State and Elon, both unranked squads that exploited their perimeter leaks.
Entering this tournament, the Irish's games have averaged a scorching 150.6 points, 6.1 over Tuesday's number, fueled by Burton's iso bursts and transition leaks. Meanwhile, Rutgers' contests clock in at 147.8 — both well clear of the line — against mid-major pads.
Rutgers' frontcourt physicality, led by Max Frazier's double-doubles, could grind that tempo. Still, with both teams on short rest from multi-game Vegas stints, fatigue tilts the scales toward offensive pops over defensive stands.
For this particular game, the angle comes on the total from Evan Abrams' "Day Games Over" system.
In college basketball, early-day games often create conditions that favor higher-scoring outcomes, especially when both teams are coming off short rest.
Quick turnarounds tend to limit defensive preparation and reduce energy on that end of the floor, while offensive rhythm remains relatively unaffected.
Mid-day start times can also lead to faster-paced contests driven by transition play and early shot-clock attempts, particularly in non-primetime settings with looser defensive intensity.
When both teams have played within a day, fatigue shifts the balance toward offensive efficiency rather than defensive discipline, producing a consistent edge on the over throughout recent seasons (62% hit rate in similar spots since 2020, per advanced metrics).
The real value lies in riding the over, as early-season volatility in high-pace, short-rest matchups creates a sharp counterplay against the venue's under bias.
In early-season college basketball, games featuring quick turnarounds and mismatched defensive prep often create value on the overperforming side. When both teams show offensive firepower while defenses gel slowly, public sentiment leans toward neutral-site grinds.
However, in fast-paced, fatigue-laden environments, volatility surges and scoring margins widen. Undersized lines undervalue the offensive surge, while efficient attacks are underpriced after modest runs.
Early in the season, with limited data and schemes still forming, these matchups frequently erupt toward totals, allowing the overvalued side to outperform deflated lines and cash at a profitable clip.
My Pick: Over 140.5 (Play to 144.5)
