Penn State Nittany Lions vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, 1/5/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Penn State Nittany Lions vs Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL

TV: BTN

The Northwestern Wildcats (8-3) will take on the Penn State Nittany Lions (6-5) at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Wednesday.

The Penn State Nittany Lions played Indiana and earned the victory with a final of 61-58 in their last game. Penn State ended with a 41.2% FG percentage (21 out of 51) and converted 11 of 22 three-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Nittany Lions knocked down 8 of their 10 tries for a rate of 80.0%. In regard to rebounding, they earned 37 with 11 of them being offensive. They also recorded 7 assists for the matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 6 turnovers and having 6 steals. When it comes to the defense, Penn State let their opponent shoot 39.7% from the floor on 23 of 58 shooting. Indiana earned 13 dimes and had 6 steals in the matchup. Additionally, Indiana had 28 rebounds (9 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Indiana shot 66.7% from the charity stripe by knocking down 8 of 12 shots. They also buried 4 of their 17 shots from long range. In regard to fouls, the Nittany Lions ended up with 14 while Indiana totaled 13 fouls.

Myles Dread is a guy who was a major factor for the game. He ended up scoring 12 points on 4 of 5 shooting. He played for 22 mins and also collected 4 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 80.0% from the field and also totaled 1 assist.

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Penn State steps onto the court with a record of 6-5 so far this season. They average 66.7 points per contest (288th in D-1) while hitting 45.0% from the field. The Nittany Lions are shooting 34.6% on three-point attempts (91 of 263) and 74.1% from the charity stripe. As a team, Penn State is snagging 35.4 boards per contest and has tallied 144 assists on the campaign, which is 290th in the country in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 13.0 times per contest and as a squad they commit 14.5 fouls every game.

Defensively, the Nittany Lions are forcing 9.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 15.6 fouls. They currently rank 70th in Division 1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 135 conceded so far this season. The Nittany Lions defense is allowing a FG percentage of 41.8% (268 of 641) and they surrender 31.0 rebounds per game as a group. They concede 32.9% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 103rd in college basketball in points per game allowed (65.2).

The last time they took the court, the Northwestern Wildcats took a loss by a score of 73-67 against Michigan State. The Wildcats pulled down 25 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards for a total of 37 in this game. They gave up possession 9 times, while earning 6 steals in this game. Michigan State was called for 25 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Wildcats to the free throw line for 30 shots. They were able to make 20 of those for a rate of 66.7%. With regard to shooting from downtown, Northwestern made 5 of their 24 tries (20.8%). In all, the Wildcats shot 21 out of 65 from the floor which had them shooting 32.3%. The Wildcats permitted Michigan State to convert 20 of their 52 attempts from the field which left them shooting 38.5% for this game. They finished the game shooting 30.4% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 7 out of 23 and finished the contest at 26 of 33 at the free throw line (78.8%). When talking about rebounding, Northwestern permitted Michigan State to grab 35 in total (7 on the offensive side).

Chase Audige pitched in for the Wildcats for this game. He made 3 of 14 in the matchup for a rate of 21.4%, and accounted for 7 rebounds. He racked up 12 points in his 30 minutes on the hardwood and had 2 dimes in this matchup.

Northwestern has a mark of 8-3 so far this year. The Wildcats are responsible for committing 17.1 fouls per game while shooting 76.0% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 18.3 times per contest (9th in the country) and they turn the ball over 8.7 times per contest. Northwestern has scored 857 points this year (77.9 per game) and they collect 39.0 boards per contest. As an offense, the Wildcats are shooting 45.2% from the field, which is ranked 145th in Division 1.

The Northwestern defense allows 34.5% from downtown (87 of 252) and opponents are knocking down 72.2% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 12.7 dimes and 35.2 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 194th and 203rd in those defensive categories. The Wildcats on the defensive end are ranked 48th in college hoops in PPG allowed with 61.9. They are able to force 14.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 36.8% from the floor (7th in D-1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Northwestern

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