Penn State Nittany Lions vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights Prediction, 1/31/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Penn State Nittany Lions vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Date: Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Location: Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, NJ

TV: BTN

Jersey Mike’s Arena is the site where the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (10-9) will go up against the Penn State Nittany Lions (9-11) on Wednesday.

The Penn State Nittany Lions stepped onto the hardwood against Minnesota and took a loss by a final of 83-74 in their last contest. Penn State finished the contest with a 45.2% FG percentage (28 out of 62) and buried 5 of their 19 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the free throw line, the Nittany Lions knocked down 13 of their 18 shots for a rate of 72.2%. In regard to rebounding, they earned 21 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 14 dimes for this game as well as forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and earning 9 steals. Concerning defending, Penn State allowed their opponent to shoot 53.8% from the floor on 28 out of 52 shooting. Minnesota recorded 18 dimes and had 3 steals in the game. Additionally, Minnesota pulled down 31 rebounds (7 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Minnesota finished the contest at 88.5% from the free throw line by converting 23 of their 26 attempts. They buried 4 of their 14 tries from downtown. Concerning personal fouls, the Nittany Lions walked away with 20 while Minnesota had 16 personal fouls.

Ace Baldwin is one guy who was a factor in this matchup. He walked away from this one shooting 60.0% from the field and dished out 6 assists. He saw the court for 40 minutes played and snagged 2 rebounds. He recorded 16 points on 6 out of 10 shooting.

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Penn State will play this contest with a record of 9-11 on the year. They average 76.3 points per outing (127th in the country) while shooting 43.5% from the floor. The Nittany Lions are hitting 30.9% on 3-point shots (151 of 488) and 73.9% from the free throw line. As a unit, Penn State is snagging 32.2 boards per game and has racked up 238 dimes this season, which has them ranked 301st in D-1 in terms of passing. They are losing possession via turnover 10.7 times per contest and as a unit are committing 18.3 personal fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Nittany Lions are forcing 15.7 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.6 personal fouls. They relinquish 32.2% on shots from downtown while they are 260th in college basketball in PPG from their opponents (74.8). The Nittany Lions defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 46.2% (530 of 1,148) and they surrender 38.2 rebounds per game as a unit. They currently rank 314th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 303 relinquished on the season.

The last time they took the court, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights took a defeat with a final score of 68-60 when they faced Purdue. The Scarlet Knights earned 18 defensive boards and 12 offensive boards for a total of 30 in this matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while earning 4 steals for the game. Purdue earned 11 fouls in this contest which took the Scarlet Knights to the free throw line for 13 tries. They were able to bury 8 of those for a percentage of 61.5%. When talking about shooting from distance, Rutgers knocked down 4 of their 16 tries (25.0%). Overall, the Scarlet Knights went 24 out of 64 from the floor which had them sitting at 37.5%. The Scarlet Knights permitted Purdue to knock down 22 out of their 45 attempts from the field which left them with a rate of 48.9% for the contest. They wrapped up this game 26.3% from beyond the arc by going 5 out of 19 and finished the contest at 19 out of 25 at the free throw line (76.0%). Concerning rebounding, Rutgers permitted Purdue to grab 31 in total (6 offensive).

Aundre Hyatt was important for the Scarlet Knights for this game. He tallied 15 points in his 30 minutes on the hardwood and had 2 assists for the matchup. He converted 5 out of 12 for the matchup for a field goal percentage of 41.7%, and had 4 rebounds.

Rutgers has a record of 10-9 for the campaign. On the offensive side of the ball, the Scarlet Knights are shooting 38.9% from the floor, which is 356th in college basketball. Rutgers has scored 1,290 pts this year (67.9 per contest) and they pull in 39.0 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 11.9 times per game (289th in college hoops) and they turn it over 11.5 times per contest. The Scarlet Knights commit 16.4 fouls per game and they shoot 65.5% from the free throw line.

The Scarlet Knights on defense are ranked 58th in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 66.6. They are forcing 15.1 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.2% from the field (39th in college hoops). The Rutgers defense surrenders 32.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter (139 of 435) and opponents are making 69.4% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 12.4 dimes and 39.9 boards every game, which ranks them 143rd and 354th in those categories.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Penn State

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