Ohio State Buckeyes vs Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction, 1/30/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Thursday, January 30, 2025

Location: Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA

TV: FS1

The Penn State Nittany Lions (13-8) welcome the Ohio State Buckeyes (12-8) at Bryce Jordan Center on Thursday.

The Ohio State Buckeyes took the court against Iowa and notched a win by a score of 82-65 in their last game. Ohio State ended the contest having earned a 48.4% FG percentage (30 of 62) and converted 8 of their 27 3-point shots. From the free throw line, the Buckeyes knocked down 14 of 19 shots for a rate of 73.7%. Regarding grabbing boards, they earned 42 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 15 assists in this game in addition to forcing the other team into 6 turnovers and getting 4 steals. In the matter of defense, Ohio State allowed 39.3% from the field on 24 out of 61 shooting. Iowa recorded 13 dimes and had 6 steals for this game. Moreover, Iowa pulled down 28 rebounds (6 offensive, 22 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Iowa finished the game at 58.8% from the charity stripe by making 10 of 17 shots. They made 7 of 25 attempts from downtown. Concerning personal fouls, the Buckeyes left the arena with 18 and Iowa accumulated 17 personal fouls.

Micah Parrish is a player who was a contributor in this game. He walked away from this one shooting 38.5% from the field and earned 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 32 minutes and also snagged 6 rebounds. He was able to score 18 points on 5 out of 13 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

Ohio State enters this matchup with a record of 12-8 on the season. They turn the ball over 11.5 times per game and as a team they commit 19.6 personal fouls per game. As a team, Ohio State is pulling down 35.3 rebounds per game and has accounted for 277 assists this year, which ranks 206th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Buckeyes are hitting 37.4% on shots from beyond the arc (162 of 433) and 73.4% from the charity stripe. They average 79.9 points per outing (62nd in college hoops) while hitting 48.3% from the field.

On defense, the Buckeyes are able to force 11.9 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.0 fouls. They are conceding 29.1% from beyond the arc and they are 174th in college in PPG allowed (71.0). The Buckeyes are allowing a field goal percentage of 39.9% (471 of 1,180) and they concede 33.7 boards per game as a team. They are ranked 31st in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 219 conceded for the year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Penn State Nittany Lions took a defeat with a final score of 76-72 when they played Michigan. The Nittany Lions pulled down 24 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 29 in the matchup. They coughed it up 18 times, while earning 6 steals in this contest. Michigan had 17 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Nittany Lions to the charity stripe for 16 tries. They were able to knock down 13 of them for a percentage of 81.3%. When it comes to 3-point shots, Penn State converted 9 of 19 attempts (47.4%). Overall, the Nittany Lions ended up shooting 25 for 51 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 49.0%. The Nittany Lions permitted Michigan to knock down 30 of their 62 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 48.4% in the matchup. They shot 42.9% from beyond the arc by connecting on 12 out of 28 and ended up shooting 4 of 9 at the free throw line (44.4%). In the matter of attacking the glass, Penn State allowed Michigan to grab 25 in all (7 on the offensive side).

Nicholas Kern pitched in for the Nittany Lions for the game. He made 6 out of 12 in this game giving him a rate of 50.0%, and had 10 rebounds. He recorded 16 points in his 36 minutes of playing time and added 2 dimes for this contest.

Penn State has a win-loss mark of 13-8 on the season. The Nittany Lions are committing 16.7 fouls per game while shooting 75.9% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 16.9 times per contest (30th in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.0 times per contest. Penn State has earned 1,747 points on the campaign (83.2 per game) and they pull in 35.1 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Nittany Lions are connecting on 48.8% from the floor, which ranks 25th in the nation.

The Penn State defense gives up 33.7% on shots from distance (165 of 490) and their opponents are connecting on 70.9% of their free throw shots. They concede 16.4 dimes and 33.6 total boards per game, which ranks them 352nd and 130th in D-1. The Nittany Lions defensively are ranked 206th in college in points allowed per game with 72.1. They have forced 15.5 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 44.4% from the floor (247th in the nation).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Penn State

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here