The Penn State Nittany Lions (11-10) take on the Michigan Wolverines (16-5) at Madison Square Garden. Action gets underway at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 30 and can be seen on BTN.
The Nittany Lions lost big to Ohio State 66-46 in their last matchup. Payton Banks played well for Penn State, contributing nine points, six rebounds, and one steal. The Wolverines, meanwhile, are coming off a 68-57 win against Rutgers in their last outing. Derrick Walton Jr. played well for Michigan, recording 14 points, four assists, and three rebounds.
Half-court execution will be of utmost importance when two of the nation’s slowest-paced teams square off. Penn State ranks 334th in possessions per game (65.3), while Michigan is 330th (65.4).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Wolverines won the first game 79-56. Mark Donnal was a standout player in the game, producing 16 points, eight rebounds, one assist, and one block.
The Nittany Lions have gone 11-10 Straight Up (SU) and 9-10-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Penn State has given up very few turnovers with an average of only 11.2 per game.
Over on the other bench, Michigan has a SU record of 16-5 and an ATS record of 11-8. Michigan is one of the top shooting teams in the country, making .488 of its shots from the floor. Defenses have a tough time accounting for every player when up against the Wolverines, who are known for distributing the ball with 16.1 assists per game. The Michigan defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 27th in Division I with only 64.0 points allowed per game. Michigan has not committed many turnovers, averaging only 10.0 per game.
Michigan won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bumping its SU record over their most recent meetings to 9-1. Furthermore, Michigan holds the advantage ATS with a record of 8-2. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Michigan held the edge in all three of these categories three times in the last five meetings. Penn State never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mich, ATS Winner – Mich
Notes
Penn State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
Penn State is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
Penn State is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Penn State’s last 5 games when playing Michigan.
Penn State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Michigan.
Penn State is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Michigan.
Michigan holds a 6-2 SU record against the Big Ten Conference this season, while Penn State has an abysmal 2-6 SU record against the conference.
The Michigan Wolverines average 77.3 points per game, ranking 85th in the nation. The Penn State Nittany Lions rank 100th in points allowed with 68.5.
Michigan scores 73.8 points per away game (ranked 79th). Penn State ranks a poor 147th in points allowed at home, allowing 67.9 points.
The Michigan Wolverines have a defensive rating of 98.2 (ranked 89th), while the Penn State Nittany Lions have an offensive rating of 100.7 (ranked 263rd).
Michigan beats Penn State in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Wolverines average 65.4 possessions and 1.182 points per possession, while the Nittany Lions average 65.3 possessions with 1.007 points per possession.
The Michigan Wolverines have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking fifth in the country with an eFG% of 58.4%. When their opponents record a similar or higher eFG%, the Penn State Nittany Lions have a losing 1-3 record.
The Penn State Nittany Lions average 19.0 three point attempts per game and are 6-4 when attempting at least 20 in a game. The Michigan Wolverines average 25.0 attempts and have a solid record (14-5) when attempting 20 or more.
The Michigan Wolverines rank sixth with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.62, while the Penn State Nittany Lions rank outside the top 100 at 299th with an A/TO of .84.
On average, Penn State makes 5.0 steals per game. Michigan has a winning 5-2 record when it gives up at least 5 steals.
