Thursday, March 9, 2017

Verizon Center

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The Penn State Nittany Lions head to Verizon Center to take on the Michigan State Spartans on Thursday, March 9, 2017. The opening line for this game has Michigan State as 3 point favorites.

The Nittany Lions come into this game with an overall record of 15-17 and a road record of 3-7. They are 15-13 against the spread and their over/under record is 13-15. The Spartans have an overall record of 18-13 and a home record of 14-2. They have an over/under record of 15-14 and they are 16-14 against the spread.

Tony Carr comes into this contest averaging 13.2 points per game while playing 32.6 minutes per night so far this season for the Nittany Lions. He pulls down 4.7 rebounds per game and dishes out 4.1 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 39% while his free throw percentage is currently at 77%. Lamar Stevens averages 12.5 points per game in 27.6 minutes per contest this season. He averages 1.7 assists per contest and 5.7 rebounds per game for Penn State. His field goal percentage is 43% for the year while his free throw percentage is 76%.

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Miles Bridges averages 16.6 points per game while playing 31.8 minutes per contest this year for the Spartans. He grabs 8.3 rebounds per game and has 2 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 49% and his free throw percentage currently is at 66%. Nick Ward averages 13.6 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 19.6 minutes per contest. He also averages 6.3 rebounds per contest and 0.4 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 59% and his free throw percentage is 60%.

Penn State averages 72.3 points per contest this season which ranks them 207th in the nation. Their average scoring margin is -0.5 and their shooting percentage is 42% as a team which has them ranked 303rd. Behind the arc they shoot 34% which is good for 235th in the country. They average 35.2 rebounds per game and 13.9 assists per game which ranks them 209th and 148th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 183rd with 13.1 per game. The Nittany Lions allow 72.7 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 192nd in the nation. They also allow a 43% shooting percentage and a 36% average from behind the arc ranking them 155th and 250th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 38.6 rebounds a game which ranks 318th and they give up 13.4 assists per contest which puts them in 185th place in the country. They force 15.2 turnovers per game which ranks them 316th in Division 1.

Michigan State averages 72.0 points per game this year which ranks them 214th in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 2.9 and their shooting percentage is 47% as a team which has them sitting in the 45th spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 38% which is good for 51st in the nation. They average 36.3 rebounds per game and 17.1 assists per contest which ranks them 146th and 11th respectively. In the turnover department the Spartans rank 71st with 14.3 per game. The Spartans allow 69.1 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 95th in the country. They also allow a 41% shooting percentage and a 35% average from behind the arc ranking them 44th and 184th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 33.1 rebounds a game which ranks 73rd and they give up 13.2 assists per contest which puts them in 170th place in the nation. The Spartans force 11.1 turnovers per game which ranks them 30th in college basketball.

The Nittany Lions are 287th in the nation in offensive rating at 98.9. They assist on 54.8% of their shots, which ranks 128th in the country. In terms of pace they average 71.9 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 70th among D-1 teams. They are 305th in effective field goal percentage with 48%. As a team they are 285th in the country in true shooting percentage with 52% and they shoot 3 pointers on 34% of their shots. Penn State turns the ball over an average of 15.9 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 9.6% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 47.7% places them 292nd in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 26.7%.

The Spartans are 166th in the nation in offensive rating at 104.6. They assist on 66.1% of their shots, which ranks 2nd in the country. In terms of pace they average 68.5 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 246th among D-1 teams. They are 44th in effective field goal percentage with 54%. As a team they are 72nd in the country in true shooting percentage with 57% and they shoot 3 pointers on 37% of their shots. Michigan State turns the ball over an average of 18.4 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 6.5% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 52.3% places them 80th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 28.6%.

Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Trends

The Penn State Nittany Lions are 15-13 against the spread

The Penn State Nittany Lions are 13-15 against the over/under

Michigan State Spartans Betting Trends

The Michigan State Spartans are 16-14 against the spread

The Michigan State Spartans are 15-14 against the over/under

Penn State Nittany Lions Injuries

03/05/17 G Josh Reaves Knee "?"
03/05/17 F Mike Watkins Leg "?"
03/05/17 F Payton Banks Illness "?"
02/21/17 G Nazeer Bostick Hand expected to miss 2-3 weeks

Michigan State Spartans Injuries

11/11/16 F Ben Carter Knee out for season
11/11/16 F Gavin Schilling Knee out for season
02/18/17 G Eron Harris Knee out for season

Tony's Pick: Take Penn State -3

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