Saturday, February 11, 2017

State Farm Center

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The Penn State Nittany Lions travel to State Farm Center to play the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday, February 11, 2017. The opening line for this game has Illinois as 4 point favorites.

The Nittany Lions come into this game with an overall record of 13-12 and a road record of 2-4. They are 13-9 against the spread and their over/under record is 9-13. The Fighting Illini have an overall record of 14-11 and a home record of 10-4. They have an over/under record of 9-14 and they are 9-13 against the spread.

For expert handicapping advice on this matchup and other NCAA basketball games check out our handicapping tips.

Shep Garner comes into this contest averaging 12.6 points per game while playing 32.9 minutes per night so far this season for the Nittany Lions. He pulls down 2.6 rebounds per game and dishes out 2.6 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 40% while his free throw percentage is currently at 73%. Tony Carr averages 12.3 points per game in 32 minutes per contest this season. He averages 3.9 assists per contest and 4.8 rebounds per game for Penn State. His field goal percentage is 37% for the year while his free throw percentage is 77%.

Malcolm Hill averages 16.9 points per game while playing 32.5 minutes per contest this year for the Fighting Illini. He grabs 5.8 rebounds per game and has 2.8 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 43% and his free throw percentage currently is at 79%. Maverick Morgan averages 10.3 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 23.8 minutes per contest. He also averages 4.2 rebounds per contest and 0.8 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 57% and his free throw percentage is 69%.

Penn State averages 72 points per contest this season which ranks them 197th in the nation. Their average scoring margin is 0.6 and their shooting percentage is 42% as a team which has them ranked 290th. Behind the arc they shoot 35% which is good for 176th in the country. They average 35.7 rebounds per game and 14.2 assists per game which ranks them 168th and 116th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 201st with 13.6 per game. The Nittany Lions allow 71.5 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 147th in the nation. They also allow a 42% shooting percentage and a 35% average from behind the arc ranking them 92nd and 158th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 39 rebounds a game which ranks 316th and they give up 12.5 assists per contest which puts them in 104th place in the country. They force 15.5 turnovers per game which ranks them 29th in Division 1.

Illinois averages 71.6 points per game this year which ranks them 204th in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 0.5 and their shooting percentage is 45% as a team which has them sitting in the 145th spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 35% which is good for 198th in the nation. They average 35.5 rebounds per game and 12.8 assists per contest which ranks them 181st and 215th respectively. In the turnover department the Fighting Illini rank 145th with 13 per game. The Fighting Illini allow 71.2 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 136th in the country. They also allow a 44% shooting percentage and a 35% average from behind the arc ranking them 179th and 161st in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 33.2 rebounds a game which ranks 70th and they give up 12.2 assists per contest which puts them in 89th place in the nation. The Fighting Illini force 12.2 turnovers per game which ranks them 264th in college basketball.

The Nittany Lions average 69.7 points per game on the road this season and they have scored 80 ppg in their past 3 contests. They have an average scoring differential of -5.3 on the road and in their past 3 games their difference is -1.3 per contest. The Nittany Lions have an offensive rating of 98.5 and they assist on 57% of their shots. In terms of pace they average 72.1 possessions per 40 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 48%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 52% and they shoot 3 pointers on 34% of their shots. Penn State turns the ball over an average of 16.5 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 9.3% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage is 47.8% while their offensive rebound percentage is 27%. The Nittany Lions give up 75 points per game on the road this season and they have surrendered 81.3 points per contest in their last 3 games.

The Fighting Illini score 76 ppg at home and they have averaged 56.7 points per contest in their last 3 games.They have an average scoring differential of -5.3 in their past 3 contests and at home this season they have a difference of 7.3 points per game. The Fighting Illini have a rating on offense of 104.9 and 51.1% of their shots are assisted. They possess the ball 69.4 times per 40 minutes and their effective field goal percentage for the year is 51%. As an offensive unit they have a true shooting percentage of 54% and they attempt 3 pointers on 34% of their shots. Illinois turns it over an average of 16 times per 100 possessions and they steal the ball on 7.2% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage is 51.9% while their offensive rebound percentage for the season is 30.4%. The Fighting Illini give up 68.7 points per contest at home this year and they have given up 62 points per game in their past 3 contests.

Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Trends

The Penn State Nittany Lions are 13-9 against the spread

The Penn State Nittany Lions are 9-13 against the over/under

Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Trends

The Illinois Fighting Illini are 9-13 against the spread

The Illinois Fighting Illini are 9-14 against the over/under

Penn State Nittany Lions Injuries

02/10/17 G Terrence Samuel Illness "?" Saturday vs. Illinois

Illinois Fighting Illini Injuries

01/12/17 G D.J. Williams Personal out indefinitely

Tony's Pick: Take Illinois -4

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