Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Houston Cougars prediction, odds and picks, November 17, 2026
Rutgers at Houston: Bandwagon's model makes Houston an 80% favorite (Houston −10).
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Houston Cougars odds and win probability
Axle gives Houston a 80% chance to win, by about 10 points.
Bandwagon Axle 2.0 · Updated
Bandwagon's model, not a sportsbook line. We do not take wagers.
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Why Axle has Houston
All CBB ratings| RUTG | HOU | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 1494 185th of 365 | 1716 6th of 365 |
| Record | 2-0 | 2-0 |
| Last 5 games | 3-2 | 3-2 |
| Streak | W2 | W2 |
Blue marks the better side of each row. This line uses ratings from results, home advantage and schedule; record, last 5 results and streak are context only, not inputs.
How Axle's line has moved
Every stored line
| Stored | HOU win | Move |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 11, 12:08 AM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 11, 12:08 AM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 10, 11:28 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 10, 11:18 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 10, 10:58 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 10, 10:23 PM ET | 80% | +1 |
| Nov 10, 10:18 PM ET | 79% | −1 |
| Nov 10, 10:03 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 10, 9:58 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 10, 9:43 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 10, 9:28 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 10, 9:23 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 10, 9:08 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 10, 9:03 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 10, 8:58 PM ET | 80% | +1 |
| Nov 10, 8:43 PM ET | 79% | −2 |
| Nov 10, 8:28 PM ET | 81% | 0 |
| Nov 10, 5:03 AM ET | 81% | 0 |
| Nov 10, 2:17 AM ET | 81% | 0 |
| Nov 9, 11:58 PM ET | 81% | 0 |
| Nov 9, 11:37 PM ET | 81% | 0 |
| Nov 9, 10:18 PM ET | 81% | 0 |
| Nov 9, 9:23 PM ET | 81% | 0 |
| Nov 9, 9:13 PM ET | 81% | 0 |
| Nov 9, 9:03 PM ET | 81% | 0 |
| Nov 9, 8:58 PM ET | 81% | 0 |
| Nov 9, 8:48 PM ET | 81% | 0 |
| Nov 9, 8:13 PM ET | 81% | 0 |
| Nov 9, 5:04 AM ET | 81% | 0 |
| Nov 9, 1:33 AM ET | 81% | 0 |
| Nov 8, 10:37 PM ET | 81% | +1 |
| Nov 8, 10:28 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 8, 9:03 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 8, 7:58 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 8, 7:14 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 8, 6:53 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 8, 5:58 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 8, 4:13 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 8, 4:09 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 8, 3:18 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 8, 2:03 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 8, 5:04 AM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 8, 12:07 AM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 7, 11:06 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 7, 9:45 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 7, 9:26 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 7, 9:04 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 7, 8:14 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 7, 7:04 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 7, 6:10 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 7, 5:54 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 7, 5:39 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 7, 5:24 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 7, 5:09 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 7, 4:14 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 7, 2:29 PM ET | 80% | 0 |
| Nov 7, 5:02 AM ET | 80% | +56 |
| Nov 7, 12:49 AM ET | 24% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 11:44 PM ET | 24% | −1 |
| Nov 6, 11:34 PM ET | 25% | +1 |
| Nov 6, 11:14 PM ET | 24% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 10:59 PM ET | 24% | −1 |
| Nov 6, 10:40 PM ET | 25% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 10:30 PM ET | 25% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 10:15 PM ET | 25% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 10:07 PM ET | 25% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 10:02 PM ET | 25% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 9:56 PM ET | 25% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 9:47 PM ET | 25% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 9:36 PM ET | 25% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 9:31 PM ET | 25% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 9:26 PM ET | 25% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 9:22 PM ET | 25% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 9:11 PM ET | 25% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 9:06 PM ET | 25% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 8:56 PM ET | 25% | +2 |
| Nov 6, 8:36 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 7:32 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 7:22 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 6:09 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 6, 5:03 AM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 5, 10:57 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 5, 10:27 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 5, 10:17 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 5, 10:08 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 5, 9:33 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 5, 9:28 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 5, 9:18 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 5, 9:13 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 5, 9:08 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 5, 8:58 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 5, 8:08 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 5, 7:33 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 5, 5:04 AM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 4, 11:01 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 4, 10:16 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 4, 9:25 PM ET | 23% | 0 |
| Nov 4, 5:03 AM ET | 23% | — |
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Houston Cougars prediction
Bandwagon's model makes the Cougars a 10-point favorite, with a 80% chance to win. The model total is 147. Ratings: Cougars 1716 (6th of 365), Scarlet Knights 1494 (185th). The Cougars are 2-0; the Scarlet Knights are 2-0. The Cougars have won 3 of their last 5; the Scarlet Knights 3 of their last 5.
Written from the numbers on this page by a template; nothing here is an opinion.
Form, head-to-head and injuries
Recent form
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
| Opponent | Kick (ET) | Result | Picks | Axle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs NJIT Highlanders | W 101–64 | – | – | matchup | |
| vs New Haven Chargers | W 81–54 | – | – | matchup | |
| at Creighton Bluejays | L 69–82 | – | – | matchup | |
| at UCLA Bruins | L 59–72 | – | – | matchup | |
| at Minnesota Golden Gophers | W 72–67 | – | – | matchup |
Houston Cougars
| Opponent | Kick (ET) | Result | Picks | Axle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| at Houston Cougars | L 68–86 | – | – | matchup | |
| vs La Salle Explorers | W 94–55 | – | – | matchup | |
| vs Illinois Fighting Illini | L 55–65 | – | – | matchup | |
| vs Texas A&M Aggies | W 88–57 | – | – | matchup | |
| vs Idaho Vandals | W 78–47 | – | – | matchup |
Head-to-head
No earlier meeting in Bandwagon's results history.
Injuries
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: nobody listed as injured by the roster source
Houston Cougars: nobody listed as injured by the roster source
From the roster source's status flag only; no depth chart or game-time status.
Standings and ratings
All ratings- Scarlet Knights2-0 8th · W2
- Scarlet Knights rating1494 185th of 365, 1 games
- Cougars2-0 9th · W2
- Cougars rating1716 6th of 365, 2 games
More CBB games in the next 7 days
The bandwagon on each team
NCAA Division I men's basketball · 8th · streak W2
No stances yet today on $RUTGMBB: the share of the crowd ▲ on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights bandwagon, fans and neutrals counted apart.
Houston Cougars 2-0
NCAA Division I men's basketball · 9th · streak W2
No stances yet today on $HOUMBB: the share of the crowd ▲ on the Houston Cougars bandwagon, fans and neutrals counted apart.
Takes on Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Houston Cougars
Sign in to post a take on $HOUMBBRUTGMBB261117: ▲ on the bandwagon or ▼ off it, and why.
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How Axle makes this line
How this line is made
In NCAA Division I men's basketball a line starts from the ratings and adds the internal inputs marked used (rest, back-to-back, recent form) through a calibration layer fitted on past NCAA Division I men's basketball seasons, which beat rating-only out of sample. Travel and time zones did not improve the line here; injuries and weather are collected but not yet measured.
Internal
- Ratings from results usedan Elo-style rating per team from every final score, with margin of victory · Bandwagon's stored results
- Home advantage used · none: neutral sitethe league's home edge, none at a neutral site · Bandwagon's model constants, checked against results
- Schedule usedrest days, back-to-back games and three games in four days · Bandwagon's stored fixtures
- Recent form unavailable for this game · Fewer than three games played this season by at least one sideaverage margin over each side's last games this season · Bandwagon's stored results
External
- Injuries unavailable for this game · More than three days to kickoff; lists are used inside that windowplayers listed out or doubtful, weighted by their share of the team's playing time · Public injury lists and box scores
- Travel and time zones unavailable for this game · Neutral sitedistance and time-zone change from each side's last game to the venue · Wikidata venue coordinates, Open-Meteo time zones
- Weather unavailable for this game · Indoor sportforecast wind, rain and temperature around kickoff at open-air venues · Open-Meteo forecasts
Prediction markets and the crowd's split are shown beside the model's lines for comparison. They are not inputs. Method and record.
Model: Houston 80% to win. Projected score Houston 79, Rutgers 68; spread Houston −10, total 147. Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Houston Cougars, Tue, Nov 17, 2:00 PM ET.