Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Pick & Prediction 1/27/24

Making on a bet on this NCAA game featuring the Golden Gophers versus the Nittany Lions? Tip off is at at 6:30 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on BTN. The game will be played at Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA. The over/under for this Big Ten conference contest is set at 150.5 points, with Penn State being favored by -2.5 at home against Minnesota.

MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS VS PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Penn State Nittany Lions -2.5

This game will be played at Bryce Jordan Center at 6:30 ET on Saturday, January 27th.

WHY BET THE PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-68 in favor of the Nittany Lions.
• Not only will Penn State pick up the win, but look for them to cover at -2.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 150.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 144 points.

Can the Golden Gophers Lock in a Road Win?

Minnesota enters this game on a four-game losing streak, including a 61-59 loss to Wisconsin. The Golden Gophers are 12-7 overall and 3-5 in Big Ten play, and they are 9-2 in non-conference action. On the road this season, Minnesota is just 1-4, and they have lost two straight away from home.

So far this season, the Golden Gophers have been the underdog in eight of their 19 games, and they are 2-6 in those contests. As the underdog, Minnesota has gone 2-8 on the road, and they are 10-1 as the favorite.

As the underdog this season, Minnesota has a 5-3 record vs. the spread. On the road, the Golden Gophers have gone 3-2 ATS this year and are 5-5 in their last 10 road games vs. the spread.

Minnesota’s over/under record this season sits at 9-10 and the average point total in their games is 144.2. Today’s over/under line of 150.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games this season (143.4). Over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 and the average scoring total is 141 points.

In their most recent game, the Minnesota offense put up just 59 points vs. the Wisconsin Badgers. Overall, they are now averaging 76.2 points per game which is 150th in the country. Currently leading the team in scoring is Dawson Garcia who comes into today’s matchup averaging 17.2. Mike Mitchell Jr. also heads into the game with a PPG average of 10.3.

Coming into today’s game, the Minnesota defense is giving up an average of 68.0 points per contest. Against Wisconsin, the Golden Gophers’ defense gave up 61 points and did a good job not fouling. For the game, Wisconsin only made 5 free-throws.

Can the Nittany Lions Offense Score Enough at Home?

Despite a 9-10 record, Penn State has been much better at home, going 9-3 compared to 0-7 on the road. They have won seven of their last ten games at home, and are 6-3 when favored this season. Their average scoring margin at home is +11.6 points per game.

Penn State is coming off a 79-67 loss to Ohio State. They have gone 4-1 in their last five games at home, and are 3-7 when considered the underdog.

As the favorite, Penn State has struggled vs. the spread this season, going just 3-6. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Nittany Lions are just 3-7. At home, Penn State is 6-6 vs. the spread this season and 5-5 over their last 10 games as the favorite.

Today’s over/under line of 150.5 is higher than the average over/under line in Penn State’s games this season (144.7). So far, 11 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line. Over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 with an average scoring total of 162 points compared to their season average of 150.7 points per game.

The Penn State offense is coming off a game in which they scored 67 points vs. Ohio State. Overall their field goal percentage was 37.1% while connecting on 11 threes. One area that the Penn State offense has been good this season is getting to the line. Currently, they are 115th in free-throw attempts per contest. Overall, they have a field goal percentage of 43%.

At present, the Nittany Lions’ defense is nationally ranked 211st, allowing 74.3 points per game. In their previous game vs. Ohio State, the Buckeyes finished with a field goal percentage of 45% and a total of 79 points vs. Penn State.