Opening Line: Despite Struggles vs. Rutgers, Indiana Favored on Tuesday Night

Indiana has lost six straight games to Rutgers, and eight of nine overall. The No. 18-ranked Hoosiers get another shot on Tuesday night in Bloomington, and enter the game as a favorite. Here's the latest on the opening line, plus a great history of both teams vs. the point spread this season.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — This was never supposed to happen. Indiana was never supposed to be the punching bag and not the puncher in its college basketball rivalry with Rutgers. But that's what has happened.

Indiana has lost six straight games to their newest Big Ten member, and eight of the last nine. The Hoosiers' first loss of this 2022-23 season was at Rutgers, and the Scarlet Knights players — current and former — threw a lot of shade at the Hoosiers after IU ''got punked,'' as senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis likes to say. Indiana was a 3-point favorite on the road that day, but lost 63-48, their lowest-scoring game of the year.

The two teams get together again on Tuesday night in Bloomington, and Indiana is fresh off a victory over No. 1-ranked Purdue. Oddsmakers think that losing streak to Rutgers will end, because they've installed the Hoosiers as a 4.5-point favorite, according to the SISportsbook.com gambling website. The over/under is 133.5.

Indiana is 16-7 overall and 7-5 in the Big Ten, which is good for a six-way tie for third place. Rutgers is a step ahead  at 16-7 overall and 8-4 in the Big Ten, alone in second place and two games behind league-leader Purdue.

Both teams are ranked this week — Indiana is No. 18, Rutgers No. 24 — making this the first-ever Big Ten meeting between the two teams where both are in the Associated Press top-25.

The game starts at 6:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on the Big Ten Network. Here's all the information on how to watch, plus a great preview of the game by HoosiersNow.com reporter Jack Ankony. CLICK HERE

Here is a thorough breakdown on what Indiana has done all season, both straight up and against the spread, with the lines provides by Fanduel: 

Indiana by the numbers

• Indiana overall record: 16-7
• Indiana overall vs. spread: 12-11
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• Indiana home record: 12-1
• Indiana home vs. spread: 9-4
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• Indiana road record: 3-5
• Indiana road vs spread: 2-6
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• Indiana neutral court record: 1-1
• Indiana neutral court vs. spread: 1-1
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• Indiana record as favorite: 15-2
• Indiana vs. spread as favorite: 11-6
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• Indiana record as underdog: 1-5
• Indiana vs. spread as underdog: 1-5

Indiana vs. the spread

Here's what Indiana has done this season, straight up and against the spread::

• Nov. 7 — Beat Morehead State 88-53 as a 24.5-point favorite (won)
• Nov. 10 — Beat Bethune-Cookman 101-49 as a 32.5-point favorite (won)
• Nov. 18 — Won at Xavier 81-79 as a 1.5-point favorite (won)
• Nov. 20 — Beat Miami of Ohio 86-56 as a 27.5-point favorite in Indianapolis (won)
• Nov. 23 — Beat Little Rock 86-67 as a 29..5-point favorite (lost)
• Nov. 25 — Beat Jackson State 90-51 as a 28.5-point favorite (won)
• Nov. 30 — Beat No. 18 North Carolina 77-65 as a 4.5-point favorite (won)
• Dec. 3 — Lost at Rutgers 63-48 as a 3-point favorite (lost)
• Dec. 7 — Beat Nebraska 81-55 as a 12.5-point favorite (won)
• Dec. 10 — Lost to No. 10 Arizona 89-75 in Las Vegas as a 1.5-point underdog (lost)
• Dec. 17 — Lost at No. 8 Kansas 84-62 as a 5.5-point underdog (lost)
• Dec. 20 — Beat Elon 96-72 as a 28.5-point favorite (lost)
• Dec. 23 — Beat Kennesaw State 69-55 as a 17.5-point favorite (lost)
• Jan. 5 — Lost at Iowa 91-89 as a 1.5-point underdog (lost)
• Jan. 8 — Lost to Northwestern 84-83 as a 7.5-point favorite (lost)
• Jan. 11 — Lost at Penn State 85-66 as a 2.5-point underdog (lost)
• Jan. 14 — Beat No. 18 Wisconsin 63-45 as a 4-point favorite (won)
• Jan. 19 — Won at Illinois 80-65 as a 6.5-point underdog (won)
  
• Jan. 22 — Beat Michigan State 82-63 as a 4.5-point favorite (won)
• Jan. 25 — Won at Minnesota 61-57 as an 11.5-point favorite (lost)
• Jan. 28 — Beat Ohio State 86-70 as a 4.5-point favorite (won)
• Jan. 31 — Lost at Maryland 66-55 as a 2.5-point underdogs (lost)
• Feb. 4 — Beat No. 1 Purdue 79-74 as a 1-point favorite (won)

Rutgers vs. the spread

Rutgers is 16-7 on the season and 8-4 in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights have been a great team to wager on, going 16-7 against the spread and 10-3 since Dec. 17. 

In true road games, they are just 2-4 overall and just 3-3 vs. the spread. Here's what Rutgers has done this season, straight up and against the spread:

• Nov. 7 — Beat Columbia 75-35 as a 19.5-point favorite (won)
• Nov. 10 —Beat Sacred Heart 88-50 as an 21.5-point favorite (won)
• No. 12 — Beat UMass-Lowell 73-65 as a 13.5-point favorite (lost)
• Nov. 18 — Lost to Temple 72-66 in Uncasville, Conn. as a 4.5-point favorite (lost)
• Nov. 22 — Beat Rider 76-46 as a 15.5-point favorite (won)
• Nov. 26 — Beat Central Connecticut 83-49 as a 26.5-point favorite (won)
• Nov. 30 — Lost at Miami 68-61 in ACC/Big Ten Challenge as 3.5-point underdog (lost) 
• Dec. 3 — Beat No. 10 Indiana 63-48 as a 3-point underdog (won)
• Dec. 8 — Lost at No. 25 Ohio State 67-66 as a 6.5-point underdog (won)
• Dec. 11 — Lost to Seton Hall 45-43 as an 7.5-point favorite (lost)
• Dec. 17 – Beat Wake Forest 81-57 as a 9.5-point favorite (won)
• Dec. 23 — Beat Bucknell 85-50 as an 18.5-point favorite (won)
• Dec. 30 — Beat Coppin State 90-57 as a 24.5-point favorite (won)
• Jan. 2 — Won at No. 1 Purdue 65-64 as an 8.5-point underdog (won)
• Jan. 5 — Beat Maryland 65-50 as a 5.5-point underdog (won)
• Jan. 8 — Lost to Iowa 76-65 as an 5.5-point favorite (lost)
• Jan. 11 – Won at Northwestern 65-62 as a 1.5-point favorite (won)
• Jan. 15 — Beat Ohio State 68-64 in overtime as an 3-point favorite (won)
• Jan. 19— Lost at Michigan State 70-57 as a 3.5-point underdog (lost)
• Jan. 24 – Beat Penn State 65-45 as a 6.5-point favorite (won)
• Jan. 29 — Lost at Iowa 93-82 as an 4.5-point underdog (lost)
• Feb. 1 — Beat Minnesota 90-55 as a 15.5-point favorite (won)
• Feb. 4— Beat Michigan State 61-55 in New York as a 4.5-point favorite (won)