The Northwestern Wildcats (10-3) travel to face off against the Penn State Nittany Lions (11-2) on Thursday, January 2nd. This game will be played at Bryce Jordan Center in University Park and televised on PEAC. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 7:00 ET.

Northwestern Wildcats vs Penn State Nittany Lions

The Wildcats Are Coming Off A Win

Northwestern improved to 10-3 on the season with an 85-60 win over Northeastern on Sunday. Playing at home, the Wildcats were -14 favorites and covered the spread. The game’s total points of 145 went over the pre-game line of 137.5.

Northwestern led 35-33 at halftime before dominating the second half, outscoring Northeastern 50-27.

The Nittany Lions Are Coming Off A Win

Penn State improved to 11-2 on the season with an 86-66 win over Penn on Sunday. Playing at home, the Nittany Lions were -26 favorites but didn’t cover the spread.

Leading 34-31 at halftime, Penn State pulled away by scoring 52 points in the 2nd half while holding Penn to 35. The game’s total points were 152, just under the 152.5 O/U line.

Wildcats Offense Breakdown

Northwestern put up 85 points in their last game, shooting 53.6% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 60.7%. They hit 67.7% of their two-point attempts and 36% from beyond the arc, making 9 of 25 threes. At the free-throw line, they shot 72.7%, connecting on 16 of 22 attempts.

Ty Berry led the way with 23 points, hitting 5 of 7 threes and shooting 80% overall. Brooks Barnhizer added 22 points and 10 rebounds, while LA Pratt contributed 18 points and 7 boards. Masai Troutman was 4 of 5 from deep, finishing with 17 points.

Nittany Lions Offense Breakdown

Penn State’s offense put up 86 points in their last game, shooting 45.5% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 48.5%, and they struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 4 of 18 threes (22.2%). Inside the arc, they were more efficient, connecting on 54.2% of their two-point attempts.

At the free-throw line, the Nittany Lions were solid, making 22 of 26 attempts (84.6%). They also grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and dished out 17 assists. Michael Zanoni led the way with 27 points, hitting 7 of 12 threes, while Ace Baldwin contributed 23 points and 10 assists.

Wildcats Team Defense

Despite Northwestern’s defensive struggles, they held their opponent to 60 points, even while allowing a 53% shooting performance. The Wildcats gave up 21 two-point baskets on 31 attempts, with their opponent hitting 67% from inside the arc.

From three-point range, Northwestern’s defense allowed 9 threes on 25 attempts, a 36% shooting rate. Their opponent also went to the free-throw line 22 times, converting 16 for 72%. The Wildcats gave up 10 offensive rebounds in the game.

Nittany Lions Team Defense

Even though Northwestern’s defense gave up 60 points, they struggled to contain their opponent, who shot 53% from the field. The Wildcats allowed 30 made field goals on 56 attempts.

Inside the arc, Northwestern’s defense allowed 67% shooting, with their opponent hitting 21 of 31 two-point attempts. From three-point range, their opponent shot 36%, making 9 of 25 attempts.

Wildcats vs Nittany Lions Trends

• Across their last three road contests, Northwestern has a 2-1 record vs the spread. Their overall mark in these games was 1-2, while averaging 71 points per game.
• In their last three games at home, the Nittany Lions have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 0-3 vs. the spread. The team averaged 72 points per game in this stretch.
• In their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Wildcats have a straight up record of 4-6 and an ATS mark of 7-3.
• In their last three games as the betting favorite, the Nittany Lions have a straight up record of 3-0, while going 1-2 against the spread.

Wildcats vs Nittany Lions Prediction

For today’s matchup we are recommending to take the Nittany Lions to secure the win, with an expected final score of 77-69. When it comes to the spread, we believe they’ll cover at -5.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 144.5 and given that our model is projecting 146 points between the teams, we like the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* 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.