Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction, 2/26/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Sunday, February 26, 2023

Location: Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA

TV: ESPN+

Bryce Jordan Center is the site where the Penn State Nittany Lions (17-11) will attempt to defeat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (17-11) on Sunday.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights faced off with Michigan and took a loss by a final of 58-45 in their last game. Rutgers ended the game with a 38.3% field goal percentage (18 out of 47) and buried 4 out of their 13 three-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Scarlet Knights knocked down 5 of 16 tries for a percentage of 31.3%. Concerning hauling in boards, they compiled a total of 29 with 4 of them being offensive. They also dished out 11 assists for this contest while forcing 9 turnovers and getting 7 steals. In regard to the defense, Rutgers allowed their opponent to shoot 40.7% from the floor on 22 of 54 shooting. Michigan distributed 11 assists and had 11 steals for this contest. Moreover, Michigan had 34 rebounds (8 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Michigan went 63.6% from the free throw line by burying 7 of their 11 attempts. They also converted 7 of 25 attempts from beyond the arc. In relation to personal fouls, the Scarlet Knights ended up with 13 and Michigan accumulated 11 personal fouls.

Cam Spencer is a player who was important in this game. He left the arena with 11 points on 5 of 12 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 35 minutes and pulled down 7 boards. He finished shooting 41.7% from the field but wasn't able to get an assist.

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Rutgers heads into this contest with a record of 17-11 this season. They cough up possession 11.7 times per game and as a team they commit 15.5 personal fouls every game. As a team, Rutgers is pulling down 37.3 rebounds per game and has earned 425 assists this season, which has them ranked 72nd in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Scarlet Knights are shooting 32.3% on shots from 3-point land (163 of 504) and 71.2% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 68.8 points per contest (259th in the nation) while hitting 43.2% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Scarlet Knights have forced 14.8 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.1 personal fouls. They are 94th in the nation in giving up assists to their opponents with 328 surrendered this season. The Scarlet Knights defense is allowing a FG percentage of 38.9% (597 of 1,536) and they concede 34.2 boards per contest as a squad. They are surrendering 29.9% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 8th in college hoops in PPG allowed (59.8).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Penn State Nittany Lions walked away with a victory by a final of 75-71 when they faced Ohio State. In the matter of cleaning up the glass, Penn State permitted Ohio State to snag 30 in total (10 offensive). They finished 34.8% from distance by shooting 8 out of 23 and finished the contest at 5 of 6 at the free throw line (83.3%). The Nittany Lions allowed Ohio State to make 29 of 63 attempts from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 46.0% for the game. In all, the Nittany Lions shot 27 for 52 from the field which had them shooting 51.9%. Pertaining to shots from 3-point land, Penn State buried 10 of their 19 tries (52.6%). They were able to knock down 11 of the free throws for a clip of 73.3%. Ohio State was called for 11 personal fouls in this game which took the Nittany Lions to the charity stripe for 15 attempts. They coughed up the ball 3 times, while recording 1 steal in this matchup. The Nittany Lions were able to snag 20 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive boards totaling 24 for this contest.

Jalen Pickett ended up being a major contributor for the Nittany Lions for the game. He totaled 23 points in his 29 mins on the hardwood and had 4 assists for this game. He made 8 out of 11 for the matchup for a field goal percentage of 72.7%, and totaled 3 rebounds.

Penn State has a win-loss mark of 17-11 this year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Nittany Lions are shooting 47.0% from the field, which ranks them 49th in college basketball. Penn State has accumulated 2,054 pts for the season (73.4 per game) and they grab 31.9 boards per game. They are earning an assist 14.3 times per game (99th in the country) and they are turning it over 8.6 times per game. The Nittany Lions commit 15.6 personal fouls every game while shooting 75.3% from the charity stripe.

The Penn State defense gives up 34.3% on three-point shots (210 of 613) and their opponents are making 69.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 14.2 dimes and 35.0 total rebounds per game, ranking them 290th and 242nd in D-1. The Nittany Lions on the defensive end are ranked 147th in D-1 in points given up per game with 68.8. They are able to force 9.2 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.8% from the field (200th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Penn State

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