The Northwestern Wildcats will hit the road to take on Big 10 Rivals, the Penn State Nittany Lions, Friday evening. The last time that they played, Penn State snuck away with a 74-70 victory despite northwestern sinking 12 of 26 three balls.
Northwestern has an even 13-13 record thus far, while Penn State is just behind at 11-13. Both teams are closer to the bottom of the conference than the top and need a win to help improve their seeding for the upcoming Big 10 Tournament.
Northwestern at Penn State Stats
Matchup Information
Looking at the Northwestern Wildcats stats
The Wildcats are led by a pairing of forward Pete Nance and guard Boo Buie. Nane averages team-highs in points (15.1) and rebounds (6.4), while Buie chips in with 15.0 per night and a team-high 4.4 assists.
Junior Chase Audige is the third of three Wildcats averaging double-digit scoring with 10.7 per night; however, he is shooting career lows from the field and from three in this third collegiate season.
Northwestern as a whole has solid statistics offensively, most impressively ranking fifth in Division-I in assist-to-turnover ratio, but their defense and inability to clean up the boards are what lets them down.
Looking at the Penn State Nittany Lions stats
Penn State has four players averaging at least 10 points per night, led by 13.0 from senior Jalen Pickett. The Siena transfer is not terribly efficient shooting the ball but does make smart decisions and also leads his squad in assists per game.
Senior forward John Harrar dominates the interior for the Nittany Lions, scoring 10.7 points and grabbing 9.8 rebounds per night. Harrar will have a big opportunity to post an impressive stat line against a Wildcats team that will struggle to keep him off the boards.
Penn State has nearly identical shooting percentages to Northwestern, but they are a little looser with the ball and more inconsistent, hence their slightly worse record.
Betting Trends for Northwestern at Penn State
- Penn State is 13-11 against the spread
- Northwestern is 12-2-2 ATS
- Penn State lost its last four games ATS
- Northwestern won its last two games ATS
Northwestern at Penn State Predicition
Top sportsbooks agree that Penn State is a slight favorite heading into the matchup with Northwestern despite their less impressive record. Style makes fights, and the Lions’ advantage inside could set them up for success against the rival Wildcats.
Because the spread is so marginal, the oddsmakers believe that this is a nearly identical matchup, which means that picking the spread is almost like picking the moneyline. Because Northwestern is more consistent and takes care of the ball, however, they are the better team to pick in Friday night’s meeting between two Big 10 rivals, both in need of a win.
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