The Penn State Nittany Lions (14-13) travel to face off against the Minnesota Golden Gophers (14-12) on Saturday, February 22nd. This game will be played at Williams Arena in Minneapolis and televised on BTN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 2:00 ET.

Penn State Nittany Lions vs Minnesota Golden Gophers

The Nittany Lions Are Coming Off A Win

Penn State improved to 14-13 on the season with an 89-72 win over Nebraska on Wednesday. The Nittany Lions, who were +1.5 point underdogs, not only won but also covered the spread. The total points for the game hit 161, surpassing the O/U line of 151.5.

Penn State dominated early, leading 50-27 at halftime. While they allowed 45 points in the 2nd half, they still managed to score 39 points to secure the win.

The Golden Gophers Are Coming Off A Win

Minnesota Golden Gophers Recent Game/Games

The Golden Gophers improved to 14-12 on the season after a 64-61 road win over UCLA on Tuesday. Minnesota came into the game as +11.5 point underdogs and not only pulled off the upset but also covered the spread.

After trailing 34-23 at halftime, Minnesota turned things around in the 2nd half, outscoring UCLA 41-27. The game’s total points of 125 fell below the O/U line of 131.5.

Nittany Lions Offense Breakdown

Penn State’s offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, putting up 89 points while shooting 60.7% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 67.9%, thanks in large part to their 78.8% shooting on two-pointers.

Connor Essegian led the way with 20 points, while Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Zach Hicks each added 19. Andrew Morgan was perfect from the field, hitting all 8 of his shots, and D’Marco Dunn contributed 17 points on 77.8% shooting.

Golden Gophers Offense Breakdown

In their last game, the Golden Gophers put up 64 points, shooting 45.8% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 54.2%. They connected on 33.3% of their threes, hitting 8 of 24 attempts, and were efficient from the line, making 12 of 13 free throws for a 92.3% rate.

Dawson Garcia led the way with 32 points and 8 rebounds, shooting 60% overall and 50% from deep. Mike Mitchell Jr. added 14 points, hitting 4 threes at a 40% clip, while Sebastian Mack and Tyler Bilodeau each contributed 13 points, with Bilodeau perfect from beyond the arc.

Nittany Lions Team Defense

Despite Penn State’s defensive struggles, they allowed 72 points while the opposing team shot 60% from the field. The Nittany Lions couldn’t contain their opponents inside, giving up 26 two-pointers on 33 attempts, a 78% success rate.

From beyond the arc, Penn State’s defense allowed 8 threes on 23 attempts, with the opposing team shooting 34%. They also sent their opponents to the free-throw line 14 times, where they converted 13 free throws, shooting 92%.

Golden Gophers Team Defense

Even with Penn State giving up 72 points, they struggled to contain their opponent, who shot 60% from the field. The Nittany Lions allowed 34 made baskets on 56 attempts.

Inside the arc, Penn State’s defense was porous, as they gave up 26 two-point field goals on 33 attempts, a 78% shooting rate. From three-point range, their opponent hit 8 of 23 shots, shooting 34%.

Nittany Lions vs Golden Gophers Trends

• In their last five road games, Penn State has averaged 70 points per game while allowing 82. The team’s record in this stretch was 0-5 while going 3-2.
• In their last three home games, Minnesota has averaged 67 points per game while allowing 62. The team’s record in this stretch was 3-0 while going 3-0 vs. the spread.
• 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 3-2.
• In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Golden Gophers have a straight up record of 4-1, while going 0-4-1 against the spread.

Nittany Lions vs Golden Gophers Prediction

The Golden Gophers is our pick to not only win with a projected score of 77-69. But we also favor them to cover the spread. Our bet is on the Golden Gophers at -2.5.

As for the over/under, the the line is currently at 141.5, and our model projects the Nittany Lions and Golden Gophers to reach a combined total of 146 points. Our bet is on taking 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.