Penn State Nittany Lions vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, 1/6/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Penn State Nittany Lions vs Ohio State Buckeyes

Date: Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Location: Value City Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: BTN

Odds/Point Spread: Penn State (+5)

The Ohio State Buckeyes (8-3) host the Penn State Nittany Lions (3-4) at Value City Arena on Wednesday. Penn State opens this game as 5-point underdogs. The total opens at 144.5.

Penn State will enter this contest with a mark of 3-4 for the season. They are turning it over 11.6 times per game and as a unit are committing 20.4 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Penn State is snagging 34.4 rebounds per game and is sitting with 100 assists so far this season, which is 222nd in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Nittany Lions are shooting 37.6% on shots beyond the perimeter (71 of 189) and 72.2% from the free throw line. They are averaging 78.4 points per contest (82nd in college basketball) while connecting on 44.5% from the field. When they are on the defensive end, the Nittany Lions are forcing 15.1 turnovers per game and they draw 16.1 personal fouls. The Nittany Lions defensively are allowing a FG percentage of 48.2% (187 of 388) and they concede 34.6 boards per game as a team. They are currently ranked 136th in the country in giving up assists to their opponents with 96 relinquished this season. They are conceding 31.6% from beyond the arc and they are 286th in the nation in opponents PPG (76.3).

The Penn State Nittany Lions faced off with the Indiana Hoosiers and went home with a loss by a final score of 87-85 in their last contest. Penn State walked away from the game having earned a 47.7% field goal percentage (31 out of 65) and made 12 of their 28 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the free throw line, the Nittany Lions buried 11 of their 15 attempts for a percentage of 73.3%. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 28 with 8 of them being offensive. They also doled out 13 assists in the matchup as well as having 7 steals and 2 blocks. In relation to defending, Penn State allowed the other team to shoot 47.7% from the floor on 31 out of 65 shooting. Indiana recorded 15 assists and had 5 steals in the matchup. Additionally, the Hoosiers had 25 rebounds (4 offensive, 21 defensive) and got 2 blocks. Indiana finished the contest at 81.0% at the free throw line by burying 17 of 21 attempts. They buried 6 out of their 19 tries from distance.

Myreon Jones is someone who was a factor in this game. He ended up finishing with 20 points on 6 of 9 shooting. He played 35 minutes and grabbed 4 boards. Jones finished the game shooting 66.7% from the field and also earned 2 assists. One more player that came through in the game for the Nittany Lions was Sam Sessoms. He collected 2 rebounds and earned 3 assists. He finished shooting 53.8% from the field in the matchup by going 7-of-13 (17 points). When the final whistle was blown, Sessoms was on the court for 31 minutes.

Ohio State has a mark of 8-3 on the season. The Buckeyes are committing 17.0 fouls every game while shooting 76.8% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 13.2 times per contest (196th in college basketball) and they turn the ball over 9.6 times per game. Ohio State has totaled 839 points so far this year (76.3 per game) and they collect 38.5 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Buckeyes are shooting 43.6% from the field, which is ranked 213th in D-1. The Buckeyes on the defensive end are ranked 96th in college hoops in points given up per game with 66.2. The Ohio State defense concedes 35.1% on three-point shots (84 of 239) and opponents are connecting on 71.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They surrender 13.1 assists and 33.3 boards per game, which has them ranked 192nd and 96th in those categories on the defensive end. They are able to force 12.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 40.4% from the floor (82nd in the country).

In their last game, the Ohio State Buckeyes took a defeat with a final score of 77-60 when they played the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Buckeyes corralled 22 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 32 for the matchup. They blocked 3 shots while earning 2 steals in this matchup. The Golden Gophers were called for 20 fouls for the game which took the Buckeyes to the free throw line for 21 tries. They were able to knock down 15 of them for a percentage of 71.4%. Pertaining to 3-point attempts, Ohio State buried 7 of 27 attempts (25.9%). When all was said and done, the Buckeyes ended up going 19 for 61 from the floor which had them sitting at 31.1%. The Buckeyes allowed the Golden Gophers to make 24 of 55 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 43.6% for this game. They finished 40.9% from beyond the arc by shooting 9 out of 22 and finished the contest at 20 of 29 from the free throw line (69.0%). When talking about how they attacked the glass, Ohio State permitted Minnesota to snag 38 in all (9 offensive).

Duane Washington was important for the Buckeyes for this game. He knocked down 7 of 12 in this game giving him a rate of 58.3%, which got him 21 points. Washington had 2 boards in his 26 minutes and added 2 assists in the game. One more player who was a determining factor for Ohio State was E.J. Liddell. He was able to score 10 points in his 34 minutes on the court by going 3 out of 11 from the floor for the contest. Liddell ended the game having shot 27.3% from the field in addition to contributing 2 dimes and 7 rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Penn State (+5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here