Penn State Nittany Lions vs Purdue Boilermakers Prediction, 3/12/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Penn State Nittany Lions vs Purdue Boilermakers

Date: Sunday, March 12, 2023

Location: United Center in Chicago, IL

TV: CBS

Odds/Point Spread: Penn State (+6)

The Penn State Nittany Lions (20-12) are headed to United Center on Sunday where they will take on the Purdue Boilermakers (26-5). Purdue opens this contest as 6-point favorites. The total comes in at 136.5.

The Penn State Nittany Lions faced Illinois and earned the victory with a final of 79-76 in their last game. Penn State ended the game having earned a 51.8% FG percentage (29 of 56) and converted 8 out of their 21 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Nittany Lions knocked down 13 of their 22 tries for a percentage of 59.1%. In terms of hauling in rebounds, they collected 31 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 13 assists for the matchup as well as creating 7 turnovers and having 4 steals. In the matter of defending, Penn State allowed the other team to shoot 45.3% from the field on 29 out of 64 shooting. Illinois recorded 15 dimes and had 7 steals in the game. Additionally, Illinois grabbed 31 rebounds (11 offensive, 20 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Illinois finished the game at 63.2% from the charity stripe by burying 12 of their 19 shots. They knocked down 6 out of their 21 shots from distance. With respect to personal fouls, the Nittany Lions ended up walking away with 20 while Illinois accumulated 21 personal fouls.

Andrew Funk is someone who played a role in this contest. He walked away from this one shooting 66.7% from the field but didn't record a dime. He was on the hardwood for 38 mins and also snagged 1 rebound. He notched 20 points on 6 out of 9 shooting.

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Penn State comes into this contest with a win-loss mark of 20-12 so far this season. They are turning it over 8.8 times per contest and as a unit they commit 15.4 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Penn State is snagging 32.2 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 457 assists on the campaign, which ranks 104th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. The Nittany Lions are hitting 38.9% on shots from downtown (342 of 879) and 72.8% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 72.6 pts per game (162nd in D-1) while hitting 46.8% from the floor.

On defense, the Nittany Lions are forcing 8.9 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 13.1 fouls. They currently rank 270th in the nation in allowing assists to their opponents with 446 surrendered for the season. The Nittany Lions defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 43.4% (806 of 1,857) and they relinquish 34.8 rebounds per game as a group. They relinquish 34.4% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 127th in college hoops in points per game allowed (68.4).

The last time they took the court, the Purdue Boilermakers went home victorious with a score of 76-71 when they faced Illinois. In regard to how they attacked the glass, Purdue allowed Illinois to collect 28 in all (10 offensive). They shot 31.8% from behind the 3-point line by going 7 of 22 and ended up shooting 16 of 24 at the charity stripe (66.7%). The Boilermakers permitted Illinois to knock down 24 of 50 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 48.0% in this contest. Overall, the Boilermakers walked away from this one shooting 25 out of 53 from the field which gave them a percentage of 47.2%. When talking about three-point shots, Purdue made 6 of 18 tries (33.3%). They were able to convert 20 of the free throws for a percentage of 71.4%. Illinois committed 23 fouls for this contest which got the Boilermakers to the charity stripe for 28 tries. They turned the ball over 11 times, while recording 11 steals in this contest. The Boilermakers collected 16 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards totaling 28 in this contest.

Brandon Newman ended up being a factor for the Boilermakers in the game. He converted 5 of 10 for the contest for a rate of 50.0%, and had 6 rebounds. He accumulated 19 points in his 34 minutes on the hardwood and had 5 dimes in the game.

Purdue has a win-loss mark of 26-5 on the campaign. The Boilermakers are committing 13.5 fouls per game and they hit 74.7% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 15.3 times per contest (39th in college basketball) and they are giving up possession 11.2 times per contest. Purdue has accounted for 2,268 pts this season (73.2 per contest) and they collect 38.7 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Boilermakers are shooting 46.1% from the floor, which ranks 91st in college basketball.

The Purdue defense gives up 31.1% on 3-point attempts (195 of 628) and opponents are connecting on 73.1% of their foul shots. They have conceded 12.2 assists and 27.6 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks them 140th and 1st in those defensive categories. The Boilermakers on the defensive side of the court are 21st in the country in points allowed per contest with 62.5. They have forced 10.1 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 41.7% from the floor (61st in college basketball).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Penn State (+6)

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