It will be a battle between Big Ten opponents when the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-20) welcome the Penn State Nittany Lions (13-13) to Louis Brown Athletic Center. The game begins at 1:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Scarlet Knights are hoping for a better outcome after their 82-66 loss to Illinois on Tuesday. Despite the loss, Jonathan Laurent earned his second double-double this season with 18 points and 11 rebounds. The Nittany Lions, meanwhile, are coming off a 79-75 win over Iowa on Wednesday. Donovon Jack was the team’s top scorer, accumulating 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting.
Over the last five games, Corey Sanders has been playing at a high level for the Scarlet Knights. During that stretch, he has averaged 24.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.6 three-pointers.
The Scarlet Knights have gone 6-20 Straight Up (SU) and 9-13 Against The Spread (ATS). Rutgers has averaged 62.1 points per game over the last 10 games, lower than its season average of 68.3. Rutgers’s defense has put it all together in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game dropped to 72.0 during that span, compared to its 80.1 season average.
As for their opponent, the Nittany Lions have 13-13 SU and 12-12-1 ATS records. Penn State has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 3-7 record. The Penn State defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 48th in Division I with only 69.5 points allowed per road game. Taking care of the basketball is something the Nittany Lions do very well, averaging just 11.4 turnovers per game.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between the conference foes. Their previous game was a Nittany Lions victory, but Rutgers still leads the head-to-head record, 3-2 SU. The Scarlet Knights also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 3-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – PSU, ATS Winner – PSU
Notes
“Rutgers is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“Rutgers is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Rutgers’s last 5 games “.
“Rutgers is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Rutgers’s last 5 games at home”.
Rutgers scores an average of just 68.3 points per game (ranked 217th). Penn State ranks 99th in points allowed, giving up 69.2 points per game.
Rutgers averages 71.9 possessions per game, scoring .949 points on each possession. While Penn State averages fewer possessions per game with 65.4, they score more points per possession with 1.001.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights average an effective field goal percentage of 46.1% this season. The Penn State Nittany Lions have a losing record of 4-10 when opponents have an eFG% of 46.1% or greater.
Penn State, the 79th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.3 per game. Rutgers does worse, ranked 161st with 3.5.
Rutgers has forced an average turnover percentage of 16.4% this season. Penn State has a losing 6-10 record when its TO% is 16.4% or higher.
