Check out our free Penn State vs Nebraska pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Lincoln. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.
Penn State vs Nebraska Pick & Preview: Sunday, February 5th Betting Odds
Nittany Lions vs Cornhuskers Matchup at a Glance
- Sport: NCAAB
- Teams: Penn State Nittany Lions at Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Where: Lincoln at Pinnacle Bank Arena
- Date: Sunday, February 5th
- Betting Odds: Penn State -4, PENNST -197 | NEBR +159 O/U 136.0
Nittany Lions Preview:
The Penn State Nittany Lions head into today’s game in what will be their 23rd game of the season, posting a record of 14-8. On the road, the Nittany Lions will be playing their 8th game of the season, having gone 2-6. This season, Penn State has been favored to win in 14 games, sitting with a mark of 13-1. For today’s contest, Penn State has a betting line set -4 points in their favor.
Jalen Pickett comes into today’s game as the Nittany Lions’ leading scorer at 17.36 points per contest. Not only has Pickett been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Penn State’s top rebounder at 7.82 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 14.33 points per game. Overall, he has hit 48.3% of his shots and is adding 6.0 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.
Cornhuskers Preview:
Through 23 games, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have an overall record of 10-13. So far this season, Nebraska has played 11 games at home, sitting with a record of 8-3. For the season, Nebraska has been the underdog in 16 games, sitting with a mark of 3-13. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Cornhuskers being +4 point underdogs.
Derrick Walker comes into today’s game as the Cornhuskers’ leading scorer at 13.44 points per contest. Not only has Walker been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Nebraska’s top rebounder at 7.44 boards per contest. Behind Walker, the team has benefited from the strong play of Sam Griesel, who is second on the team in scoring at 11.48 points per game. Overall, he has hit 43.9% of his shots and is adding 5.38 boards per game.
On offense, Nebraska is scoring a rate similar to the NCAA average at 73.3 points per game. This figure has come despite struggling to knock down shots from outside. Through 23 games, they have only hit 32.0% of their 3-point field goal attempts. For the season, 37.37% of their shots have come from beyond the arc.
Free Spread Prediction: Penn State Nittany Lions -4
Heading into this matchup, our NCAA betting model has identified this game as a profitable opportunity and recommends taking the Penn State Nittany Lions to pick up the win and cover the spread as -4 point betting favorites. Although Penn State as a team is just 278th in overall shooting percentage, we see their offense putting together a strong performance against the Cornhuskers’ defense. In addition, the Nittany Lions have made bettors money who have taken them to cover on the road, as they are 6-4 (last 10). At -4 we see there being plenty of value in grabbing the Nittany Lions to come out on top and cover.
