The Michigan Wolverines (6-8) travel to face off against the Penn State Nittany Lions (7-7) on Sunday, January 7th. This game will be played at The Palestra in Philadelphia and televised on BTN. Both Michigan and Penn State will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:00 ET.
Michigan Wolverines vs Penn State Nittany Lions
The Michigan Wolverines Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
Michigan comes into this game as the favorites, favored by 3.5 points. So far this season, the Wolverines have gone 6-8 and have lost three straight games. In their last game, Michigan faced Minnesota and lost by a score of 73-71.
On the road this season, the Wolverines are 2-1 and have an average scoring margin of +7.7 points per game. Over their last 10 road games, Michigan is just 4-6.
Michigan’s ATS mark this year is just 4-9, but they have gone 2-1 vs. the spread on the road this season. Over their last three road games, the Wolverines are 2-1 ATS and have gone 7-3 vs. the spread in their last 10 road games. However, Michigan is just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as the favorite and they are 0-5 vs. the spread in their last five games as the favorite.
This season, the over/under record in Michigan games is 10-3. So far, their games have averaged 160.9 points and today’s over/under line of 154 is lower than the average OU line in their games (150.4). Over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 and the average scoring total in those games is 170 points.
The Penn State Nittany Lions Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
Today, the Penn State Nittany Lions will take on the Michigan Wolverines as 3.5-point underdogs. So far this season, Penn State has an overall record of 7-7 and a home record of 7-2. Over their last ten games at home, the Nittany Lions are 8-2.
In their last game, Penn State lost to Michigan State by a score of 92-61. As the underdog, the Nittany Lions have a record of 1-4 this season. Over their last five games at home, Penn State is 3-2.
As the underdog this season, Penn State has gone 2-3 vs. the spread. Overall, the Nittany Lions have an ATS mark of 5-9 this year. At home, their ATS record is 4-5. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, Penn State is 6-3-1 vs. the spread. In their last 3 home games, the Nittany Lions have gone 1-2 ATS.
This season, the over/under record for Penn State games is 8-5-1. So far, the average over/under line in their games is 143.1 and their games are averaging 148.1 points. Today’s over/under line of 154 is higher than the average over/under line in their games this year. Over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 and those games have averaged 144 points.
Michigan Offense Breakdown
The Michigan offense is coming off a game in which they scored 71 points vs. Minnesota. Overall their field goal percentage was 41.4% while connecting on 6 threes. Nimari Burnett was the leading scorer for the Wolverines, putting up 17 points. In addition, Olivier Nkamhoua contributed 16 points.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dug McDaniel (G) | 18.3 | 4.3 | 5.1 |
| Olivier Nkamhoua (F) | 17.1 | 7.6 | 2.6 |
| Terrance Williams II (F) | 11.9 | 4.3 | 1.4 |
Penn State Offense Breakdown
Coming off their recent game, the Penn State offense tallied 61 points in a matchup against Michigan State. Their field goal percentage for the game was 32.3%, and they made 3 threes. One area that the Penn State offense has been good this season is getting to the line. Currently, they are 83rd in free-throw attempts per contest. Overall, they have a field goal percentage of 43%.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanye Clary (G) | 18.4 | 3.2 | 2.9 |
| Adrian Baldwin Jr (G) | 12.8 | 1.8 | 4.4 |
| Qudus Wahab (F) | 9.8 | 8.8 | 0.6 |
Michigan Team Defense
At this time, the Wolverines’ defense is positioned 267th in the country, permitting 78.6 points per game. Michigan will look once again to perform well on defense, holding Minnesota to just 41% shooting in their most recent game.
Penn State Team Defense
Penn State’s defense is currently in line with the NCAA average for points allowed, allowing an average of 71.9 points per game. On average, opposing teams are hitting 6.0 threes per game vs. Michigan. This has come on three-point shooting percentage of 29.8%.
Wolverines vs Nittany Lions Trends
- The Wolverines are 2-1 ATS in their three last road games and 2-1 straight-up.
- Through their last five home games, Penn State has an ATS record of just 1-4. However, their overall record was 0-5 while averaging 73 points per game.
- Looking back on the team’s last five games as the underdog, the Nittany Lions have a straight up record of 1-4. Their record vs the spread in these games was 2-3.
- Going back to their last five games as the favorite, the Wolverines have a straight up record of 1-4. But, their mark vs the spread was just 0-5.
Wolverines vs Nittany Lions Prediction
The Nittany Lions come in as the underdog at +3.5, making them our top choice on the point spread. We not only expect them to cover the spread but also believe they have a strong chance of winning the game outright, especially if you’re aiming for a higher moneyline payout.
As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 154 and our model has the Wolverines and Nittany Lions finishing with a combined 143 points. Our pick is to take the under.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:January 7, 2024 Michigan Wolverines, Penn State Nittany Lions, Uncategorized