Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction, 3/9/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN

TV: BTN

The Minnesota Golden Gophers (13-16) are hitting the road to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday where they will try to defeat the Penn State Nittany Lions (12-16).

The Minnesota Golden Gophers faced off with Northwestern and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 75-62 in their last contest. In regard to personal fouls, the Golden Gophers ended up with 19 while Northwestern recorded 13 personal fouls. They made 9 of 23 tries from distance. Northwestern ended up going 76.2% from the charity stripe by making 16 of 21 tries. Additionally, Northwestern snagged 44 rebounds (8 offensive, 36 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Northwestern doled out 15 dimes and had 3 steals in the game. In regard to defense, Minnesota allowed the other team to shoot 41.0% from the field on 25 of 61 shooting. They also distributed 13 assists for the game while creating 8 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In the matter of hauling in boards, they earned 29 with 3 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Golden Gophers converted 9 of 12 tries for a percentage of 75.0%. Minnesota ended the game having earned a 36.5% field goal percentage (23 out of 63) and made 7 of their 21 three-point attempts.

Payton Willis is someone who was a major factor in this game. He went 53.8% from the field and also earned 7 assists. He saw the court for 40 mins played and grabbed 8 boards. He accumulated 16 points on 7 of 13 shooting.

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Minnesota will enter this matchup with a mark of 13-16 on the season. They average 67.6 points per outing (268th in Division 1) while hitting 44.0% from the field. The Golden Gophers are shooting 37.1% on 3-point shots (229 of 617) and 71.8% from the free throw line. As a team, Minnesota is snagging 30.8 rebounds per game and has racked up 366 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 240th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They turn the ball over 9.3 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 14.1 personal fouls per game.

On the defensive end, the Golden Gophers are forcing 10.4 turnovers every game while drawing 14.9 fouls. They are surrendering 33.6% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 193rd in college hoops in PPG allowed (69.5). The Golden Gophers defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 45.4% (771 of 1,697) and they concede 37.5 boards per game as a team. They rank 214th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 394 surrendered so far this season.

When they last played, the Penn State Nittany Lions took a loss by a score of 59-58 when they faced Rutgers. The Nittany Lions earned 26 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards totaling 35 for the matchup. They turned the ball over 8 times, while earning 7 steals for the matchup. Rutgers had 13 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Nittany Lions to the charity stripe for 18 tries. They were able to knock down 16 of the free throws for a percentage of 88.9%. In relation to three-point shots, Penn State buried 6 of 24 tries (25.0%). When all was said and done, the Nittany Lions went 18 out of 56 from the field which had them shooting 32.1%. The Nittany Lions permitted Rutgers to knock down 22 of their 50 attempts from the floor which had them at 44.0% for this contest. They finished 35.3% from 3-point land via 6 of 17 and ended up shooting 9 of 17 at the charity stripe (52.9%). Concerning rebounds, Penn State permitted Rutgers to grab 26 in total (5 on the offensive side).

John Harrar pitched in for the Nittany Lions in this game. He accumulated 15 points in his 34 minutes on the hardwood and had 1 assist in this matchup. He made 4 of 8 in this game for a rate of 50.0%, and accounted for 17 rebounds.

Penn State has a win-loss record of 12-16 for the campaign. The Nittany Lions have committed 15.5 fouls every game and they go 73.2% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 12.1 times per contest (247th in Division 1) and they turn it over 12.2 times per game. Penn State has totaled 1,811 pts on the season (64.7 per contest) and they collect 35.7 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Nittany Lions are hitting on 43.2% from the floor, which is ranked 233rd in the country.

The Nittany Lions on the defensive end are ranked 60th in the nation in PPG given up with 65.3. They are able to force 8.9 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.4% from the floor (79th in Division 1). The Penn State defense surrenders 35.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter (215 of 609) and their opposition makes 72.3% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 12.9 assists and 31.6 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks them 203rd and 42nd in college basketball.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Penn State

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