The Northwestern Wildcats are set to face the Penn State Nittany Lions. Check out our college basketball odds series, which includes our Northwestern Penn State prediction, odds, and pick.
The Northwestern Wildcats made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 2017. Coach Chris Collins will forever be remembered as the man who guided the Big Ten school across the threshold and, for good measure, won an NCAA Tournament game when NU defeated Vanderbilt in the Round of 64. College basketball odds historians remember that Northwestern won an extremely close March Madness game before losing to Gonzaga in the Round of 32. Collins attained a small but real piece of college basketball immortality five years ago.
However, he hasn't been able to build on that achievement. Northwestern has not been back to the Big Dance, and more than that, the Wildcats haven't come especially close. This season has been another miserable slog for Northwestern, a disappointing journey in light of the hope and promise this program seemed to have a few years ago. NU has utterly failed to build any momentum whatsoever from its NCAA Tournament appearance. Collins is watching his career drift along without improving the Wildcats to a higher level. This feels like a tenure which is spent and has run out of ideas.
Northwestern has lost lots of close games this season. The Wildcats have been terrible in the final two to three minutes of games. Wake Forest, Providence, Illinois, Purdue, and other opponents have narrowly beaten the Wildcats. Penn State was one of those teams, scoring a 74-70 win on Northwestern's home floor in January. That is something to keep in mind when making a Northwestern Penn State prediction. Northwestern recently got blown out by Minnesota and is showing signs of staggering to the finish line this season. This team should be far better than its 13-13 record.
Penn State is 11-13 on the season, trying to build its program for future seasons in a rugged and difficult Big Ten Conference. The Nittany Lions, unlike Northwestern, were not expected to be good this season. This is not a quick-fix project for coach Micah Shrewsberry.
Penn State has played better in recent weeks. Earlier in February, the Nittany Lions — down nine to Michigan State in the second half — rallied to upset the Spartans. Penn State narrowly missed beating Michigan at home and has generally made itself a tough out for comparably talented Big Ten opponents. The Nittany Lions are nowhere near the top tier of the league, but they are competitive with the middle tier of the conference, as well as the lower rung of the Big Ten. That offers a measure of hope before the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. Keep that in mind when making a Northwestern Penn State pick.
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Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Northwestern-Penn State odds:
College Basketball Odds: Northwestern-Penn State Odds
Northwestern: +1.5 (-110)
Penn State: -1.5 (-110)
Over: 129 (-110)
Under: 129 (-110)
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Why Northwestern Could Cover the Spread
The Wildcats have too much talent to get swept by Penn State. It has to be said that Penn State usually draws small crowds, so it is not as though playing this game on the road will be particularly intimidating for Northwestern.
Why Penn State Could Cover the Spread
The Nittany Lions already beat Northwestern by four on the road. They can win by two at home and still cover the spread. It sounds simple enough, and it certainly is an attainable goal.
Final Northwestern-Penn State Prediction & Pick
Northwestern has been a noticeable disappointment this season, while Penn State has continued to play hard in the midst of a losing campaign. It's a coin flip, but the lean definitely goes to Penn State.
Final Northwestern-Penn State Pick: Penn State -1.5
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