Penn State looks to cover the Nittany Lions-Wildcats pointspread on Saturday and improve its overall 12-16 mark when they host Northwestern in college basketball action.

This season, the Nittany Lions are 12-16 overall and 9-12-2 ATS ATS, while the Wildcats are 16-11 and 11-11 ATS against the number. As for the totals, Penn State boasts a 10-13 on the OU, and Northwestern is 13-9.



View Northwestern vs Penn State Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to back visiting Northwestern before tip-off in this one will find them as 1-point favorites.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
It's a betting matchup between the No. 213-rated Nittany Lions and the No. 215-ranked Wildcats, according to the latest pro hoops power rankings here at Odds Shark. Prediction formulas run on this game indicate a possible 68-63 result in favor of the Wildcats.



How They Match Up:
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and Penn State has the nation's No. 292-rated offensive output, at 61.9 PPG. The visiting Wildcats defense ranks No. 189 allowing on average 67.4 PPG. The Nittany Lions FG% has averaged 38.8% so far, less than the Wildcats marksmen have achieved on the year, 45.7% per game.

Defensively, Northwestern features the nation's No. 280-rated defense on the road, allowing 74.5 points per game. Penn State, meanwhile, comes in at No. 288 nationally in scoring at home.

Northwestern was a 67-55 loser in its last match at home against Michigan. They failed to cover the 2.5-point spread as favorites. The Wildcats got 14 points from John Shurna, but it was Michigan that prevailed in a 67-55 final on Tuesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

In their last action, Penn State was a 65-55 loser on the road against Wisconsin. They covered the 14-point spread as underdogs. The Nittany Lions endured a 65-55 loss at the hands of the Badgers on Sunday, despite a 20-point effort from Tim Frazier at Kohl Center.


Northwestern Wildcats Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 7-3
Before playing Ohio State are 4-6
After playing Michigan are 6-4
After a loss are 5-5

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

A few Wildcats at Nittany Lions trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Northwestern's last 10 games on the road
Northwestern is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Northwestern is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Penn State
Northwestern is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Penn State
Penn State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Northwestern
Penn State is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Northwestern
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Penn State's last 5 games at home
Penn State is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games at home


Next up:
Northwestern home to Ohio State, Wednesday, February 29
Penn State at Purdue, Wednesday, February 29