Check out our free Illinois vs Penn State pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in University Park. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.
Illinois vs Penn State Pick & Preview: Tuesday, February 14th Betting Odds
Fighting Illini vs Nittany Lions Matchup at a Glance
- Sport: NCAAB
- Teams: Illinois Fighting Illini at Penn State Nittany Lions
- Where: University Park at Bryce Jordan Center
- Date: Tuesday, February 14th
- Betting Odds: Illinois -3, ILL -159 | PENNST +130 O/U 142.0
Fighting Illini Preview:
Heading into today’s matchup vs Penn State, the Illinois Fighting Illini will be taking the floor for the 25th time this season and have an overall record of 17-7. On the road, the Fighting Illini will be playing their 10th game of the season, having gone 5-5. This season, Illinois has been favored to win in 20 games, sitting with a mark of 15-5. For today’s contest, Illinois has a betting line set -3 points in their favor.
Illinois’ leading scorer this season is Terrence Shannon Jr., who is averaging 16.88 points per contest. So far, Jr. has accounted for 22.53% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 5.04 rebounds per game and 2.96 assists. Matthew Mayer is the second leading scorer for the Fighting Illini, averaging 11.75 points per game. Between him and Mayer, they are accounting for 38.2% of the team’s scoring.
So far this season, Illinois has put together a strong scoring offense at 75.8 points per game (66th). This strong figure has come despite the Fighting Illini playing at a slow tempo compared to other schools. For the season, they have hit 36.7% of their shots from outside, which is closer to the NCAA average. Illinois’ overall field goal percentage currently sits at 45.3%
Nittany Lions Preview:
Through 25 games, the Penn State Nittany Lions have an overall record of 14-11. Currently, the Nittany Lions have been the home team 15 times, sitting with a record of 12-3. So far, the Nittany Lions have been the underdog 9 times, going 1-8 straight up. Heading into today’s contest, they are the +3 underdogs on the spread.
Jalen Pickett comes into today’s game as the Nittany Lions’ leading scorer at 17.16 points per contest. Not only has Pickett been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Penn State’s top rebounder at 7.6 boards per contest. Behind Pickett, the team has benefited from the strong play of Seth Lundy, who is second on the team in scoring at 14.58 points per game. Overall, he has hit 48.7% of his shots and is adding 6.21 boards per game.
Offensive production has been hard to come by for Penn State this season, as they are currently ranked 391st in college basketball at 64.6 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Nittany Lions’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 34.2%, placing them 237th in the NCAA.
Free Spread Prediction: Penn State Nittany Lions +3
Heading into this matchup between the Illinois Fighting Illini and Penn State Nittany Lions we have a strong lean on taking the points with Penn State at +3. Both team’s are going to come into this game looking to get up looks from outside, as they are both average team’s in terms of 3-pointers made per game. Look for Penn State to benefit from facing another squad looking to turn this into a 3-point shooting contest. When looking at the line, we see tremendous value in taking the Penn State Nittany Lions at +3. Go ahead and lock this bet in before tip-off.
