Michigan State Spartans vs Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction, 2/14/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Michigan State Spartans vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Location: Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA

TV: BTN

The Michigan State Spartans (15-9) are traveling to Bryce Jordan Center on Wednesday where they will meet the Penn State Nittany Lions (12-12).

The Michigan State Spartans played Illinois and took home the win by a score of 88-80 in their last contest. Michigan State ended the game with a 52.7% FG percentage (29 of 55) and converted 5 of their 8 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Spartans knocked down 25 of 34 shots for a rate of 73.5%. When talking about pulling down boards, they earned a total of 27 with 5 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 14 assists in the game in addition to forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and having 6 steals. In reference to defense, Michigan State allowed 43.3% from the field on 26 of 60 shooting. Illinois earned 14 dimes and had 3 steals for the game. Moreover, Illinois collected 32 boards (9 offensive, 23 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Illinois shot 85.0% from the free throw line by converting 17 of 20 attempts. They also buried 11 out of their 30 tries from beyond the arc. When talking about personal fouls, the Spartans walked away with 19 while Illinois totaled 24 personal fouls.

A.J. Hoggard is a guy who played a role for the game. He ended up shooting 38.5% from the floor and distributed 5 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 35 minutes and snagged 2 rebounds. He notched 23 points on 5 of 13 shooting.

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Michigan State comes into this one with a record of 15-9 for the season. They turn it over 9.9 times per game and as a basketball team they are committing 16.3 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Michigan State is pulling down 34.8 boards per game and has accounted for 414 assists this year, which ranks 19th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. The Spartans are shooting 37.1% on shots beyond the perimeter (161 of 434) and 69.1% from the free throw line. They average 75.1 pts per game (153rd in college basketball) while going 47.5% from the field.

On defense, the Spartans are able to force 12.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.8 personal fouls. They surrender 31.6% on 3-point shots and they rank 37th in college basketball in PPG from their opponents (65.6). The Spartans defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 39.9% (538 of 1,348) and they surrender 33.9 boards per game as a group. They are 119th in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 292 surrendered on the year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Penn State Nittany Lions took a defeat with a final score of 68-63 against Northwestern. The Nittany Lions pulled down 27 defensive boards and 2 offensive rebounds for a total of 29 for this game. They turned the ball over 11 times, while getting 3 steals in this contest. Northwestern earned 16 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Nittany Lions to the charity stripe for a total of 20 attempts. They were able to make 15 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 75.0%. When talking about shots from distance, Penn State buried 6 of 19 attempts (31.6%). In all, the Nittany Lions went 21 for 48 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 43.8%. The Nittany Lions allowed Northwestern to convert 20 out of their 63 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 31.7% for the game. They finished the game shooting 37.5% from distance via 6 out of 16 and ended up shooting 22 out of 27 from the free throw line (81.5%). Concerning attacking the glass, Penn State allowed Northwestern to pull down 34 in total (8 on the offensive side).

Nicholas Kern pitched in for the Nittany Lions in this contest. He accumulated 18 points in his 28 mins of playing time and earned 3 assists in this game. He converted 7 of 9 for the game giving him a rate of 77.8%, and accounted for 7 rebounds.

Penn State has a win-loss mark of 12-12 for the year. The Nittany Lions have committed 18.3 fouls per contest and they hit 74.3% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 12.5 times per game (246th in Division 1) and they turn it over 10.8 times per game. Penn State has totaled 1,823 points for the season (76.0 per contest) and they snag 31.8 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Nittany Lions are shooting 44.1% from the floor, which is 221st in college basketball.

The Penn State defense gives up 31.0% from downtown (140 of 452) and opponents are making 76.6% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 14.8 dimes and 37.1 boards per contest, ranking them 311th and 298th in college hoops. The Nittany Lions are ranked 228th in D-1 in points given up per game with 73.3. They are forcing 15.4 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 45.6% from the field (308th in college basketball).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Michigan State

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