The Penn State Nittany Lions (13-10) travel to face off against the UCLA Bruins (17-6) on Saturday, February 8th. This game will be played at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles and televised on BTN. UCLA is coming off a win in their previous game, while Penn State is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Minnesota. Tip-off is set for 4:00 ET.

Penn State Nittany Lions vs UCLA Bruins

The Nittany Lions Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Penn State Nittany Lions Recent Game/Games

Penn State fell to 13-10 on the season after a 69-61 home loss to Minnesota on Tuesday, February 4th. The Nittany Lions were -7 favorites going into the game but failed to cover the spread.

After leading 25-21 at halftime, Penn State allowed 48 points in the 2nd half while scoring 36. The total points for the game were 130, which was under the O/U line of 140.5.

The Bruins Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

UCLA Bruins Recent Game/Games

UCLA improved to 17-6 on the season with a 63-61 win over Michigan State on Tuesday. The Bruins were favored by 2.5 points but didn’t cover the spread, and the total points of 124 fell short of the 140.5 O/U line.

UCLA led 35-28 at halftime but allowed 33 points in the 2nd half while scoring 28. Despite the narrow margin, the Bruins held on for the win at home.

Nittany Lions Offense Breakdown

Penn State struggled offensively in their last game, shooting just 34.5% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc, finishing with 61 points. Their effective field goal percentage was 39.7%, and they managed 14 offensive rebounds, contributing to their second-chance opportunities.

At the free-throw line, they hit 75%, going 15 for 20. Dawson Garcia led the way with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while D’Marco Dunn added 18 points, hitting 2 of 4 from three. Brennan Rigsby was perfect from the field, making all 5 of his shots, including 2 for 2 from deep.

Bruins Offense Breakdown

UCLA struggled offensively in their last game, shooting just 35% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc, finishing 7-for-28 from three-point range. Their effective field goal percentage was 40%, and they managed only 8 offensive rebounds.

Jaden Akins led the Bruins with 15 points, hitting 3-of-7 from deep, while Skyy Clark added 14 points, despite shooting 2-of-8 from three. Tyler Bilodeau contributed 13 points, connecting on 1-of-3 from long distance.

Nittany Lions Team Defense

Despite Penn State’s defensive efforts, they couldn’t hold the opposing team under 69 points, even though they limited them to just 34% shooting from the field. The Nittany Lions were particularly effective inside, where they held their opponent to 36% shooting on two-point attempts, with only 14 makes out of 38 tries.

From beyond the arc, Penn State’s defense allowed 6 threes on 20 attempts, a 30% success rate. The opposing team also went to the free-throw line 20 times, converting 15 of those for 75%. Penn State gave up 14 offensive rebounds in the game.

Bruins Team Defense

Despite Penn State’s defensive efforts, they allowed 69 points, with the opposing team shooting 34% from the field, hitting 20 of their 58 shots. From two-point range, the opponents managed 14 makes on 38 attempts, shooting 36%.

From beyond the arc, the opposing team went 6/20, shooting 30%. They also got to the free-throw line 20 times, converting 15 of those for 75%. Penn State gave up 14 offensive rebounds in the game.

Nittany Lions vs Bruins Trends

• Across their last five road contests, Penn State has a 3-2 record vs the spread. Their overall mark in these games was 1-4, while averaging 71 points per game.
• In their last three games at home, the Bruins have a straight up record of 2-1 while going 1-1-1 vs the spread. The team averaged 71 points per game in this stretch.
• Spanning across their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Nittany Lions have gone 6-3-1 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-9.
• In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Bruins have a straight up record of 5-0, while going 2-2-1 against the spread.

Nittany Lions vs Bruins Prediction

In this Bruins vs. Bruins matchup, our point-spread bet is on the Bruins at -8.5. While we project the Bruins to win 75-72, our recommendation is to bet on the Nittany Lions for the point-spread.

Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 142.5, and our model predicts the Nittany Lions and Bruins to score a combined 147 points. We recommend betting on the over.

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.