The Penn State Nittany Lions (14-15) travel to face off against the Minnesota Golden Gophers (17-11) on Saturday, March 2nd. This game will be played at Williams Arena in Minneapolis and televised on BTN. Both Penn State and Minnesota will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:15 ET.
Penn State Nittany Lions vs Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Penn State Nittany Lions Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
As an underdog, Penn State has gone 7-11 this season, and they have lost three straight games on the road. Over their last 10 games away from home, the Nittany Lions have gone just 2-8, and they are 2-10 on the road this season. Their average scoring margin on the road is -8.7 points per game.
Penn State is coming off a 90-81 loss to Iowa, and they are 14-15 overall this season. They have gone 8-10 in Big Ten play, and they are 6-5 in non-conference action. As the underdog, they have gone 7-11 this season.
As the underdog this season, Penn State has gone 10-7-1 vs. the spread. In their last 10 games as the underdog, the Nittany Lions have a mark of 6-3-1. On the road, their ATS record is 5-6-1 this year and they are 3-1-1 vs. the spread in their last 5 road games.
Today’s over/under line of 150.5 is higher than the average over/under line of 147.3 in Penn State’s games this season. So far, 11 of their games have finished with more points than today’s OU line. In their last three games, the over/under record is 3-0 with an average scoring total of 168 points.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
Minnesota enters this game as the favorite, as they have been in 13 of their 28 games this season. The Golden Gophers have a record of 12-1 when favored, and they are 15-3 at home this season.
Overall, Minnesota has gone 17-11 this season, and they are currently on a two-game losing streak. In their last game, they fell to Illinois by a score of 105-97.
Minnesota has been exceptional against the spread this season, going 22-5-1. Their home record vs. the spread is 15-2-1, and they have gone 11-1-1 vs. the spread when favored this year. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Golden Gophers have a mark of 8-1-1 vs. the spread.
Minnesota’s over/under record for the season is 16-12 and the average scoring total in their games is 147.7 points. Today’s over/under line of 150.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games (143.8). In their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 and the average scoring total is 165 points.
Penn State Offense Breakdown
The Penn State offense is coming off a game where they scored 81 points against Iowa. They posted a field goal percentage of 45.1% and connected on 4 threes. In terms of offense, the Nittany Lions have a season-long field goal percentage of 44%, putting them 223rd in the NCAA. Regarding three-pointers, they are ranked 265th in percentage and 155th in three-pointers made.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian Baldwin Jr (G) | 14.1 | 2.3 | 5.8 |
| Kanye Clary (G) | 16.7 | 2.9 | 2.8 |
| Qudus Wahab (F) | 9.5 | 7.6 | 0.5 |
Minnesota Offense Breakdown
Coming off a good offensive performance, Minnesota’s offense scored 97 points against Illinois. Their field goal percentage for the game was 60%, and they went 11/16 from the free-throw line. Dawson Garcia is leading the team in scoring at 17.8 points per contest. Cam Christie has also been a key contributor with a PPG average of 11.6 going into the game.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson Garcia (F) | 17.8 | 6.4 | 1.8 |
| Cam Christie (G) | 11.6 | 3.6 | 2.2 |
| Mike Mitchell Jr. (G) | 10.5 | 2.6 | 2.8 |
Penn State Team Defense
So far, the Nittany Lions’ defense is ranked 237th in the country at 74.5 points per contest. Penn State’s three-point defense is currently 43rd in the country at 5.8 made threes per game. In terms of overall field goal percentage, opponets have hit 46.3% of their shots vs. Penn State.
Minnesota Team Defense
At present, the Golden Gophers’ defense is nationally ranked 139th, allowing 71.0 points per game. In today’s game vs. Penn State, the Minnesota defense will be looking to do a better job avoiding putting opponents on the line. In their last game, Minnesota made 19 free-throws vs. the Golden Gophers.
Nittany Lions vs Golden Gophers Trends
- Across their ten previous road games, Penn State has an ATS mark of 5-4-1. Their straight up record in these matchups was 2-8 while averaging 69 points per game.
- When looking at their past three home matchups, Minnesota has an ATS record of 2-1 while averaging 76 per game. The team went 0-3 overall in these games.
- The last five games that Penn State was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 2-2-1 while going 1-4 straight up.
- The last ten games that Minnesota was favored, they have an ATS mark of 8-1-1 while going 9-1 straight up.
Nittany Lions vs Golden Gophers Prediction
We’re putting our money on the Golden Gophers to win, and have the projected score sitting at 76-68. We also like them to cover the spread, so our recommendation is to bet on the Golden Gophers at -6.5.
Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 150.5 and given that our model is projecting 144 points between the teams, we like 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:March 2, 2024 Minnesota Golden Gophers, Penn State Nittany Lions