It will be a battle between Big 10 opponents when the Northwestern Wildcats (11-9, 2-5 Big 10) welcome the Penn State Nittany Lions (13-7, 3-4 Big 10) to Allstate Arena. The game starts at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 20, 2018.
Penn State Nittany Lions at Northwestern Wildcats Betting Prediction
In the Nittany Lions’ last matchup, they were beaten by the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 95-84. Minnesota’s 0.227 free throw rate was their largest strength over Penn State, who had a mark of 0.149. The Golden Gophers’ mark was below their season average of 0.278, while the Nittany Lions’ was below their season average of 0.234. Tony Carr was the top scorer from either team with 33 points on 12-for-30 shooting.
The Wildcats were beaten by the No. 22 Ohio State Buckeyes in their last matchup, 71-65. Ohio State’s free throw rate was their largest strength over Northwestern. The Buckeyes had a rate of 0.236 (below their season average of 0.242), while the Wildcats posted a mark of 0.086 (below their season average of 0.245). Northwestern’s Dererk Pardon had seven points and 10 rebounds in the game.
The offense of Northwestern (167th in the NCAA with an offensive efficiency of 106.0) will go head-to-head against the stingy defense of Penn State (29th in the NCAA with a defensive efficiency of 94.6). The Nittany Lions should have the advantage on that end of the court.
Mike Watkins has averaged 15.2 points, 13.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks over the last five games for Penn State.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. Watkins put up 18 points and 17 rebounds in the first matchup, in which the Nittany Lions beat the Wildcats 78-63. The Nittany Lions had a much better free throw rate (0.273 vs. 0.097) and had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (41.4 vs. 26.3).
Penn State Nittany Lions at Northwestern Wildcats Betting Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Penn State, ATS Winner – Penn State, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Penn State ranks 16th in steals per game (8.5) while Northwestern ranks 153rd (5.5).
The Nittany Lions rank 31st in assists allowed per game (11.2) while the Wildcats rank 127th (13.6).
Penn State averages 6.0 blocks per game, which ranks 11th in the nation. Northwestern ranks 78th in blocks allowed per game (3.3).
The Wildcats are 27th in the NCAA with 18.4 three pointers allowed per game while the Nittany Lions are 38th with 18.9 three pointers allowed per game.
Bettings Trends:
The Nittany Lions have been outscored by an average of 0.8 points in their last five games. For the season, Penn State has defeated opponents by an average of 10.4 points.
During their last five games, the Wildcats have scored an average of 62.4 points per game (10.5 below their season average) and allowed an average of 69.0 points per game (1.6 above their season average).
