Penn State will look to improve on its 8-6 record on Thursday when they host Northwestern in NCAA basketball odds action at Bryce Jordan Center.

The Nittany Lions sport records of 8-6 and 5-5 ATS heading into this battle, while the Wildcats have 9-6 and 6-6 ATS marks on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 4-5 for the Nittany Lions and 6-3 for the Wildcats.



View Northwestern vs Penn State Odds and Stats.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Nittany Lions sit at No. 189 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Wildcats sit at No. 202 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Wildcats will win this game 69-62.



How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Wildcats is ranked No. 246 in NCAA hoops at 33.6 per game. Contrast that with Penn State’s No. 102 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Penn State is the No. 254-ranked team in the country at 5.4 per game, while Northwestern rates No. 27 at 8.3 per game.

Defensively, Northwestern features the nation's No. 154-rated defense on the road, allowing 69.5 points per game. Penn State, meanwhile, comes in at No. 280 nationally in scoring at home.

In their last action, Northwestern was a 69-51 loser on the road against Minnesota. They failed to cover the 17-point spread as underdogs. Reggie Hearn scored 11 points in a futile effort to lead the Wildcats to a win (they lost 69-51 to Minnesota at Williams Arena on Sunday).

Penn State lost its last outing, a 74-51 result against Indiana on January 7. They failed to cover in that game as a 16.5-point underdog. Penn State was run off the court by the Hoosiers on Monday as Indiana routed them 74-51 at Bryce Jordan Center.


Northwestern Wildcats Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing Iowa are 5-5
After playing Minnesota are 3-7
After a loss are 7-3

Penn State Nittany Lions Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing Purdue are 2-8
After playing Indiana are 3-7
After a loss are 5-5

A few Wildcats at Nittany Lions trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Northwestern's last 6 games on the road
Northwestern is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games on the road
Northwestern is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Penn State
Northwestern is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Penn State
Penn State is 8-0-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Northwestern
Penn State is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Northwestern
Penn State is 11-1-1 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Northwestern
Penn State is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home


Next up:
Northwestern home to Iowa, Sunday, January 13
Penn State at Purdue, Sunday, January 13