Penn State Nittany Lions vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 1/8/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Penn State Nittany Lions vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: BTN

The Illinois Fighting Illini (11-3) are hosting the Penn State Nittany Lions (12-3) at State Farm Center on Wednesday.

The Penn State Nittany Lions played Indiana and took a loss by a score of 77-71 in their last game. Penn State wrapped up the contest having earned a 46.0% FG percentage (29 out of 63) and made 3 of their 21 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the charity stripe, the Nittany Lions buried 10 of 17 attempts for a rate of 58.8%. Concerning rebounding, they compiled 26 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 13 assists in the game while forcing 13 turnovers and having 6 steals. In the matter of defense, Penn State allowed their opponent to shoot 44.8% from the field on 26 out of 58 shooting. Indiana earned 17 assists and had 6 steals in the game. In addition, Indiana grabbed 35 rebounds (11 offensive, 24 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Indiana finished the game shooting 72.7% from the charity stripe by converting 16 of 22 attempts. They made 9 out of their 23 tries from long range. In the matter of personal fouls, the Nittany Lions ended up finishing with 18 and Indiana had 19 personal fouls.

Nicholas Kern is a guy who was a major factor in the game. He accounted for 21 points on 8 out of 13 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 31 mins and also totaled 3 boards. He ended up shooting 61.5% from the field and dished out 1 assist.

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Penn State will play this game with a win-loss mark of 12-3 so far this season. They average 86.8 pts per game (10th in the nation) on 50.1% from the field. The Nittany Lions are shooting 34.0% on 3-pointers (110 of 324) and 75.3% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Penn State is pulling down 36.5 rebounds per game and has accounted for 271 assists for the campaign, which has them ranked 12th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 11.6 times per game and as a squad they commit 16.9 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Nittany Lions are forcing their opponents into 16.9 turnovers per contest and they draw 21.1 personal fouls. They are giving up 32.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 107th in college in PPG allowed (68.5). The Nittany Lions defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 42.6% (366 of 860) and they concede 32.7 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are currently ranked 315th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 229 relinquished so far this year.

For their last game, the Illinois Fighting Illini went home victorious with a score of 81-77 against Washington. In the matter of how they rebounded, Illinois permitted Washington to pull down 24 in total (7 offensive). They shot 38.5% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 10 out of 26 and finished the game at 11 of 14 from the free throw line (78.6%). The Fighting Illini permitted Washington to convert 28 out of 65 attempts from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 43.1% for this game. Overall, the Fighting Illini shot 31 for 66 from the floor which gave them a rate of 47.0%. In relation to shots from distance, Illinois made 5 out of their 26 attempts (19.2%). They were able to knock down 14 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 73.7%. Washington had 18 fouls in the matchup which took the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for 19 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while getting 4 steals in this game. The Fighting Illini corralled 28 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 40 for this contest.

Kasparas Jakucionis ended up being a major contributor for the Fighting Illini for the contest. He knocked down 6 out of 11 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 54.5%, and had 5 rebounds. He accumulated 18 points in his 36 mins on the hardwood and added 6 assists in the game.

Illinois has a win-loss record of 11-3 for the year. When it comes to offense, the Fighting Illini are hitting on 46.1% from the floor, which is ranked 135th in D-1. Illinois has scored 1,227 points on the campaign (87.6 per game) and they snag 45.1 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 15.2 times per contest (111th in the nation) and they turn it over 11.6 times per contest. The Fighting Illini are responsible for committing 16.2 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 75.1% from the free throw line.

The Illinois defense gives up 28.2% on three-point shots (86 of 305) and opponents are knocking down 65.7% of their foul shots. They surrender 10.1 dimes and 32.6 rebounds every game, which ranks them 27th and 93rd in the nation. The Fighting Illini defensively are ranked 85th in college in points given up per game with 67.2. They are able to force 10.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 38.1% from the floor (17th in the nation).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Illinois

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