Penn State Nittany Lions vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, 3/10/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Penn State Nittany Lions vs Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Friday, March 10, 2023

Location: United Center in Chicago, IL

TV: BTN

Odds/Point Spread: Penn State (+1)

United Center is the location where the Northwestern Wildcats (21-10) will attempt to beat the Penn State Nittany Lions (19-12) on Friday. Penn State opens as 1-point dogs. The over/under is set at 133.

The Penn State Nittany Lions faced off with Maryland and took home the win by a score of 65-64 in their last contest. Penn State finished the game having earned a 48.1% FG percentage (26 of 54) and made 10 of 27 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the charity stripe, the Nittany Lions buried 3 of their 5 tries for a percentage of 60.0%. With respect to getting rebounds, they collected 24 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 13 dimes in this contest while forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and having 7 steals. With regard to defense, Penn State allowed their opponent to shoot 46.0% from the field on 23 of 50 shooting. Maryland recorded 10 dimes and had 5 steals for the contest. In addition, Maryland grabbed 28 rebounds (5 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Maryland ended up going 83.3% from the charity stripe by converting 10 of their 12 shots. They buried 8 out of their 22 tries from 3-point land. In the matter of fouls, the Nittany Lions ended up with 14 and Maryland recorded 14 fouls.

Jalen Pickett is a guy who was a major factor in this contest. He ended up going 58.3% from the field and also recorded 7 assists. He played 40 mins and totaled 7 boards. He totaled 16 points on 7 of 12 shooting.

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Penn State heads into this one with a win-loss record of 19-12 on the year. They are averaging 72.4 points per outing (168th in D-1) while hitting 46.7% from the floor. The Nittany Lions are shooting 38.9% from downtown (334 of 858) and 73.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Penn State is pulling in 32.1 rebounds per game and has racked up 444 assists for the campaign, which has them ranked 117th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 8.8 times per game and as a team they are committing 15.3 fouls per game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Nittany Lions have forced 9.0 turnovers every game while drawing 12.9 fouls. They are currently ranked 244th in the country in giving up assists with 431 relinquished so far this season. The Nittany Lions are allowing a shooting percentage of 43.3% (777 of 1,793) and they relinquish 34.9 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They are giving up 34.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 123rd in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (68.2).

In their last game, the Northwestern Wildcats walked away with a victory by a final of 65-53 against Rutgers. In relation to how they attacked the glass, Northwestern allowed Rutgers to get 30 in total (9 on the offensive side). They shot 11.8% from behind the 3-point line by hitting 2 of 17 and ended up shooting 11 of 21 from the free throw line (52.4%). The Wildcats permitted Rutgers to make 20 of their 55 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 36.4% in this contest. When this game wrapped up, the Wildcats finished 24 out of 53 from the field which had them shooting 45.3%. When it comes to shots from 3-point land, Northwestern made 7 out of their 23 attempts (30.4%). They were able to knock down 10 of the free throws for a percentage of 58.8%. Rutgers committed 19 fouls for this contest which got the Wildcats to the free throw line for a total of 17 shots. They also coughed up the ball 16 times, while getting 10 steals for the contest. The Wildcats collected 28 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 39 in this contest.

Brooks Barnhizer ended up being a factor for the Wildcats in the matchup. He converted 7 out of 12 in the matchup for a rate of 58.3%, and accumulated 10 rebounds. He scored 16 points in his 33 mins of playing time and added 2 assists for this game.

Northwestern has a win-loss record of 21-10 this season. The Wildcats commit 16.0 fouls per contest and they hit 74.9% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 13.0 times per contest (189th in college hoops) and they lose possession via turnover 9.9 times per game. Northwestern has earned 2,100 points so far this year (67.7 per game) and they grab 34.5 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Wildcats are shooting 40.9% from the field, which ranks 340th in college basketball.

The Wildcats are ranked 18th in Division 1 in points allowed per game with 62.3. They are forcing 14.2 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 41.2% from the floor (44th in D-1). The Northwestern defense gives up 33.9% on 3-pointers (236 of 697) and opponents are knocking down 68.0% of their foul shots. They surrender 13.5 assists and 34.9 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 238th and 238th in college basketball.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Penn State (+1)

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