The No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers are still hoping they can catch up to the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines for the top spot in the Big Ten standings. A win against the Penn State Nittany Lions can help them achieve that goal. As for the Nittany Lions, they just want to inch closer to at least a .500 record overall, at the very least. Check out our preview of this game below.
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Betting Preview for the Wisconsin Badgers vs Penn State Nittany Lions NCAA College Basketball Game on January 30 2021
Where: Bryce Jordan Center
When: Saturday, January 30, 2021, 3:00 PM ET
Line: Wisconsin Badgers (odds) vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (odds) – view all 2021 NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: TBA
Betting on the Wisconsin Badgers (odds)
Record: 12-4 Overall / 6-3 Conference
Wisconsin recovered from a 74-62 home loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes at home on Jan. 23 by beating the Maryland Terrapins in College Park on Jan. 27, 61-55. Thanks to their defense, the Badgers limited Maryland to only 35.8 percent shooting from the floor. Wisconsin didn’t shoot well, either. The Badgers only made 39.3 percent of its field-goal attempts, though, they have always been a poor shooting team. Instead, Wisconsin loves to mess with opposing teams’ offensive rhythm. In fact, the Badgers are holding opponents down to only 40.5 percent shooting from the field and just 0.986 points per possession. They are also 19th nationally with just 62.2 points allowed per game. Penn State is a bad offensive team, to begin with, and having it face Wisconsin’s defense could only make things worse on offense for Penn State.
Wisconsin, which averages 76.5 points per game, is 3-1 against the spread in its last four road games.
Betting on the Penn State Nittany Lions (odds)
Record: 5-7 Overall / 2-6 Conference
Just when Penn State looked like it was turning things around by winning back-to-back games following five-straight defeats, the Nittany Lions went down and lost for the seventh time this season on Jan. 27 to the Ohio State Buckeyes on the road, 83-79. Penn State shot just 44.0 percent from the field against the Buckeyes but went 9 of 19 from deep. Penn State has been stroking it well of late from behind the arc, as the Nittany Lions have gone 18 of 39 on 3-point attempts over their last two games. Wisconsin likes to dictate the pace, but the Badgers might struggle to do that against Penn State, which is pretty good at extending possessions with its offensive rebounding. The Nittany Lions are 31st in the nation with 10.8 offensive boards per game and first in the Big Ten with a 35.0 offensive rebounding percentage.
The over is 3-1 in Penn State’s last four home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Wisconsin wins, 69-66.
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