Penn State Nittany Lions vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Prediction, 2/18/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Penn State Nittany Lions vs Minnesota Golden Gophers

Date: Saturday, February 18, 2023

Location: Williams Arena in Minneapolis, MN

TV: ESPN+

Williams Arena is where the Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-16) will compete against the Penn State Nittany Lions (15-11) on Saturday.

The Penn State Nittany Lions faced off with Illinois and earned the victory with a final of 93-81 in their last game. Penn State wrapped up the contest with a 57.9% field goal percentage (33 of 57) and knocked down 12 of 28 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Nittany Lions made 15 of their 19 shots for a percentage of 78.9%. When it comes to rebounding, they compiled a total of 27 with 3 of them being offensive. They also dished out 13 assists in this game while forcing 8 turnovers and having 3 steals. When it comes to defense, Penn State allowed 47.5% from the floor on 29 out of 61 shooting. Illinois distributed 13 dimes and had 7 steals for the matchup. Additionally, Illinois collected 30 rebounds (7 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't have a block. Illinois ended up shooting 80.0% at the free throw line by knocking down 16 of their 20 attempts. They made 7 out of their 27 tries from beyond the arc. Concerning personal fouls, the Nittany Lions walked away with 16 while Illinois recorded 17 personal fouls.

Jalen Pickett is a player who was a factor for this game. He finished the contest at 75.0% from the floor and also distributed 8 dimes. He saw the court for 39 minutes and grabbed 2 rebounds. He accumulated 41 points on 15 out of 20 shooting.

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Penn State enters this game with a record of 15-11 this season. They average 73.2 points per game (150th in college basketball) while hitting 46.8% from the field. The Nittany Lions are connecting on 38.9% on shots from downtown (283 of 728) and 75.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Penn State is pulling down 32.1 boards per game and has totaled 375 dimes this season, which is 100th in D-1 in terms of passing. They are turning it over 8.8 times per game and as a group are committing 15.8 fouls every game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Nittany Lions are forcing their opponents into 9.4 turnovers every game while drawing 12.7 personal fouls. They are 265th in the country in giving up assists to their opponents with 364 conceded on the campaign. The Nittany Lions are giving up a field goal percentage of 43.4% (650 of 1,496) and they relinquish 35.1 boards per contest as a group. They are giving up 34.3% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 148th in college basketball in points per game allowed (68.7).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Minnesota Golden Gophers took a loss by a score of 68-56 against Iowa. The Golden Gophers were able to collect 30 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive rebounds for a total of 32 in this game. They turned it over 13 times, while getting 3 steals for this contest. Iowa was called for 15 personal fouls for the game which got the Golden Gophers to the charity stripe for 15 tries. They were able to make 7 of them for a rate of 46.7%. When it comes to three-point attempts, Minnesota converted 3 of 9 tries (33.3%). When this game wrapped up, the Golden Gophers shot 23 out of 46 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.0%. The Golden Gophers permitted Iowa to convert 27 of 72 attempts from the field which had them shooting 37.5% for the game. They finished 38.5% from distance by going 5 out of 13 and walked away from this one shooting 9 out of 15 from the free throw line (60.0%). Regarding how they cleaned up the glass, Minnesota permitted Iowa to pull down 44 in total (17 offensive).

Joshua Ola-Joseph pitched in for the Golden Gophers for the matchup. He converted 5 of 9 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 55.6%, and accumulated 2 rebounds. He earned 11 points in his 27 mins on the hardwood and had 1 assist for the matchup.

Minnesota has a win-loss mark of 7-16 for the campaign. The Golden Gophers are committing 14.5 fouls per game and they go 60.3% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 13.7 times per contest (146th in the nation) and they lose possession via turnover 13.0 times per game. Minnesota has earned 1,400 points this season (60.9 per game) and they pull in 34.0 boards per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Golden Gophers are connecting on 41.8% from the field, which has them ranked 315th in Division 1.

The Minnesota defense allows 35.6% on 3-point shots (155 of 436) and opponents are connecting on 71.5% of their foul shots. They surrender 14.5 dimes and 37.6 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 306th and 336th in college basketball. The Golden Gophers on the defensive end are ranked 170th in college basketball in PPG given up with 69.2. They are forcing 10.0 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 43.5% from the floor (182nd in Division 1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Penn State

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