Penn State Nittany Lions vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 3/9/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Penn State Nittany Lions vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023

Location: United Center in Chicago, IL

TV: BTN

The Penn State Nittany Lions (19-12) are on their way to United Center on Thursday where they will try to defeat the Illinois Fighting Illini (20-11).

The Penn State Nittany Lions took the court against Maryland and earned the victory with a final of 65-64 in their last contest. Penn State ended with a 48.1% FG percentage (26 of 54) and made 10 out of their 27 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Nittany Lions knocked down 3 of their 5 attempts for a rate of 60.0%. In relation to getting rebounds, they collected 24 with 4 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 13 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and earning 7 steals. With regard to the defense, Penn State let their opponent shoot 46.0% from the field on 23 out of 50 shooting. Maryland doled out 10 assists and had 5 steals for this contest. In addition, Maryland grabbed 28 boards (5 offensive, 23 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Maryland walked away from this one shooting 83.3% at the free throw line by making 10 of 12 shots. They buried 8 of 22 shots from long range. When it comes to personal fouls, the Nittany Lions finished with 14 and Maryland finished the game with 14 personal fouls.

Jalen Pickett is a player who played a role in the game. He went 58.3% from the field and totaled 7 assists. He was on the court for 40 minutes played and also snagged 7 boards. He walked away with 16 points on 7 out of 12 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Best Bets Picks

Penn State steps onto the court with a win-loss record of 19-12 for the campaign. They average 72.4 pts per game (168th in college hoops) while hitting 46.7% from the field. The Nittany Lions are shooting 38.9% on shots from beyond the arc (334 of 858) and 73.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Penn State is collecting 32.1 rebounds per game and has accounted for 444 assists on the year, which is 114th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 8.8 times per contest and as a unit are committing 15.3 personal fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Nittany Lions are forcing their opponents into 9.0 turnovers every game and they draw 12.9 fouls. They currently rank 252nd in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 431 conceded on the year. The Nittany Lions are giving up a shooting percentage of 43.3% (777 of 1,793) and they surrender 34.9 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They give up 34.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 123rd in D-1 in points per game allowed (68.2).

The last time they took the court, the Illinois Fighting Illini went home defeated by a final of 76-71 against Purdue. In the matter of attacking the glass, Illinois allowed Purdue to collect 28 in all (12 on the offensive side). They shot 33.3% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 6 of 18 and walked away from this one shooting 20 of 28 from the free throw line (71.4%). The Fighting Illini allowed Purdue to convert 25 of 53 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 47.2% in this matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Fighting Illini finished shooting 24 out of 50 from the field which gave them a percentage of 48.0%. Concerning shooting from beyond the arc, Illinois converted 7 of their 22 tries (31.8%). They were able to knock down 16 of the free throws for a rate of 66.7%. Purdue earned 17 fouls in this contest which took the Fighting Illini to the charity stripe for a total of 24 attempts. They turned the ball over 14 times, while recording 8 steals for the contest. The Fighting Illini snagged 18 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 28 in this game.

Matthew Mayer ended up being a major contributor for the Fighting Illini for this game. He accumulated 16 points in his 32 minutes on the court and had 1 assist for this game. He knocked down 5 out of 14 in the matchup giving him a rate of 35.7%, and totaled 6 rebounds.

Illinois has a win-loss record of 20-11 for the year. As an offense, the Fighting Illini are shooting 45.1% from the floor, which is 160th in college basketball. Illinois has accounted for 2,313 pts on the year (74.6 per contest) and they pull down 38.1 boards per contest. They are earning an assist 12.4 times per game (241st in college hoops) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 13.0 times per contest. The Fighting Illini are responsible for committing 16.7 personal fouls every game and they go 68.2% from the free throw line.

The Fighting Illini on the defensive side of the court are 76th in the country in PPG allowed with 66.6. They are forcing 13.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 41.4% from the field (51st in college hoops). The Illinois defense allows 33.4% on shots from beyond the arc (186 of 557) and opponents are connecting on 70.7% of their foul shots. They give up 10.8 assists and 33.5 boards every game, which is ranked 48th and 144th in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Penn State

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