Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction, 1/27/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Saturday, January 27, 2024

Location: Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA

TV: BTN

The Penn State Nittany Lions (9-10) will go up against the Minnesota Golden Gophers (12-7) at Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers faced Wisconsin and ended up losing by a score of 61-59 in their last contest. Minnesota finished with a 37.9% FG percentage (22 out of 58) and made 10 of 24 3-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Golden Gophers converted 5 of 13 attempts for a percentage of 38.5%. With regard to getting rebounds, they earned 28 with 7 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 15 assists in the matchup while forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and having 5 steals. Concerning defense, Minnesota allowed their opponent to shoot 42.6% from the field on 23 of 54 shooting. Wisconsin totaled 14 assists and had 5 steals for the matchup. Additionally, Wisconsin snagged 29 boards (5 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Wisconsin ended up shooting 80.0% from the charity stripe by making 8 of their 10 attempts. They also buried 7 of their 17 attempts from long range. In the matter of fouls, the Golden Gophers ended up finishing with 14 while Wisconsin racked up 13 fouls.

Elijah Hawkins is someone who was a factor for the matchup. He went 50.0% from the floor and also dished out 9 assists. He played 37 mins and also collected 5 rebounds. He ended up scoring 16 points on 6 of 12 shooting.

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Minnesota will play this contest with a win-loss record of 12-7 for the year. They are averaging 76.2 pts per contest (137th in college basketball) while going 47.5% from the floor. The Golden Gophers are connecting on 34.2% on shots from distance (151 of 442) and 66.4% from the free throw line. As a team, Minnesota is grabbing 37.5 rebounds per game and has tallied 354 assists on the year, which ranks 8th in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.6 times per game and as a squad they commit 16.4 fouls every game.

On defense, the Golden Gophers are forcing their opponents into 11.7 turnovers every game while drawing 17.2 fouls. They are surrendering 33.1% on shots from distance and they are 98th in college hoops in points per game allowed (68.0). The Golden Gophers defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 42.4% (480 of 1,131) and they surrender 33.2 boards per game as a basketball team. They are currently ranked 218th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 253 surrendered this year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Penn State Nittany Lions went home defeated by a final of 79-67 when they played Ohio State. The Nittany Lions corralled 23 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 in the game. They also turned it over 7 times, while recording 3 steals for the contest. Ohio State earned 8 personal fouls for the contest which took the Nittany Lions to the charity stripe for a total of 5 shots. They were able to bury 4 of those for a clip of 80.0%. With regard to shots from beyond the arc, Penn State converted 11 of 24 tries (45.8%). When all was said and done, the Nittany Lions shot 26 for 70 from the field which had them shooting 37.1%. The Nittany Lions permitted Ohio State to make 27 of 59 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 45.8% for the contest. They finished 16.7% from three-point range by shooting 3 out of 18 and ended up shooting 22 of 25 from the charity stripe (88.0%). In the matter of rebounding, Penn State permitted Ohio State to pull down 43 in all (9 offensive).

Kanye Clary ended up being a major contributor for the Nittany Lions for the game. He buried 5 out of 16 in this matchup giving him a rate of 31.3%, and had 1 rebound. He earned 13 points in his 30 minutes of playing time and accumulated 2 dimes for this game.

Penn State has a mark of 9-10 this year. The Nittany Lions are committing 18.2 personal fouls every game and they connect on 74.0% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 11.8 times per game (296th in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 10.9 times per contest. Penn State has scored 1,451 pts on the campaign (76.4 per game) and they collect 32.4 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the court, the Nittany Lions are shooting 43.4% from the floor, which has them ranked 258th in the nation.

The Nittany Lions on the defensive side of the court are 254th in college basketball in PPG given up with 74.3. They are forcing their opponents into 15.8 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 45.8% from the field (314th in college hoops). The Penn State defense surrenders 32.3% on 3-pointers (120 of 371) and their opponents are converting on 76.2% of their foul shots. They surrender 15.0 assists and 38.4 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 327th and 324th in the country.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Minnesota

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