Northwestern Wildcats vs Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction, 1/10/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northwestern Wildcats vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Location: Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA

TV: BTN

The Penn State Nittany Lions (8-7) will compete against the Northwestern Wildcats (11-3) at Bryce Jordan Center on Wednesday.

The Northwestern Wildcats played Michigan State and walked away with a win by a score of 88-74 in their last contest. Northwestern finished the contest with a 54.2% field goal percentage (32 out of 59) and converted 9 out of their 23 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Wildcats made 15 of 18 shots for a percentage of 83.3%. In terms of hauling in rebounds, they earned 27 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 22 dimes in the matchup while forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In reference to defense, Northwestern allowed their opponent to shoot 48.1% from the field on 25 of 52 shooting. Michigan State recorded 16 assists and had 3 steals in this contest. Furthermore, Michigan State had 26 rebounds (8 offensive, 18 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Michigan State finished the game shooting 68.2% at the charity stripe by burying 15 of 22 attempts. They also knocked down 9 of their 19 tries from long range. When it comes to personal fouls, the Wildcats ended up walking away with 20 while Michigan State accumulated 19 personal fouls.

Ty Berry is a player who was important for the contest. He totaled 22 points on 7 out of 11 shooting. He saw the court for 35 minutes played and totaled 4 boards. He finished 63.6% from the floor and recorded 2 assists.

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Northwestern will play this contest with a win-loss mark of 11-3 on the campaign. They are averaging 73.5 points per game (215th in the country) on 46.6% from the floor. The Wildcats are shooting 36.9% on three-point shots (111 of 301) and 72.4% from the free throw line. As a team, Northwestern is pulling down 31.2 rebounds per game and has accumulated 234 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 76th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They turn the ball over 8.8 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 17.1 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Wildcats are able to force 13.9 turnovers per game and they draw 16.1 fouls. They are ranked 151st in college hoops in giving up assists with 181 conceded on the season. The Wildcats defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 43.5% (317 of 729) and they concede 33.1 boards per contest as a squad. They concede 35.4% on 3-point attempts while they are 74th in the country in opponents PPG (66.2).

In their last game, the Penn State Nittany Lions got the victory with a final of 79-73 when they played Michigan. When talking about cleaning up the glass, Penn State permitted Michigan to pull down 31 overall (4 on the offensive glass). They finished 33.3% from distance by going 8 of 24 and ended up going 13 out of 20 from the free throw line (65.0%). The Nittany Lions allowed Michigan to make 26 of 52 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 50.0% in this contest. When all was said and done, the Nittany Lions ended up shooting 26 for 62 from the field which had them shooting 41.9%. In regard to shots from 3-point land, Penn State knocked down 7 of 23 tries (30.4%). They were able to make 20 of the free throws for a rate of 76.9%. Michigan earned 23 fouls for the game which took the Nittany Lions to the charity stripe for 26 tries. They also turned the ball over 6 times, while getting 11 steals for the game. The Nittany Lions were able to snag 20 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 27 for the game.

Ace Baldwin ended up being a major contributor for the Nittany Lions in this contest. He converted 8 of 13 in the game for a field goal percentage of 61.5%, and had 2 rebounds. He scored 25 points in his 37 mins on the court and accounted for 4 assists for the game.

Penn State has a win-loss record of 8-7 for the campaign. When it comes to offensive execution, the Nittany Lions are connecting on 43.0% from the floor, which has them ranked 275th in the country. Penn State has tallied 1,147 pts for the season (76.5 per game) and they pull in 33.3 rebounds per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 11.5 times per game (318th in college basketball) and they turn it over 11.4 times per game. The Nittany Lions are responsible for committing 17.7 fouls per game while shooting 73.9% from the charity stripe.

The Nittany Lions on the defensive side of the court are 202nd in the country in points allowed per game with 71.9. They have forced 16.7 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 44.1% from the field (253rd in the country). The Penn State defense allows 30.6% on shots from 3-point land (92 of 301) and their opponents are knocking down 75.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 14.1 assists and 38.9 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 285th and 332nd in D-1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Penn State

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