VMI Keydets vs Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction, 11/28/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: VMI Keydets vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Saturday, November 28, 2020

Location: Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: VMI (+20.5)

The VMI Keydets (9-24 last season) travel to Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday where they'll meet the Penn State Nittany Lions (21-10 last year). Penn State opens this contest as 20.5-point favorites. The total is set at 148.

VMI enters this matchup after finishing with a mark of 9-24 last year. The Keydets connected on 35.5% on 3-pointers (359 of 1012) and 70.8% from the free throw line. They had an average of 72.1 points per contest (140th in Division 1) while hitting 42.8% from the floor. They lost possession by turning the ball over 12.7 times per contest and as a basketball team committed 17.9 fouls per contest. As a squad, VMI collected 35.8 rebounds per game and sat with 528 assists throughout last season, which ranked 14th in D-1 in terms of passing. When they were on the defensive end, the Keydets were able to force 13.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 15.0 personal fouls. The Keydets defensively allowed a FG percentage of 43.2% (801 of 1,855) and they surrendered 36.0 rebounds per game as a squad. They were 263rd in D-1 in giving up assists with 434 conceded over the course of last season. They surrendered 32.0% on shots from downtown while they were 228th in college basketball in points per game from their opponents (71.1).

The VMI Keydets took the court against the St. Andrews Knights and earned the victory with a final of 90-63 in their last game. VMI finished having earned a 50.0% FG percentage (35 of 70) and knocked down 13 out of their 38 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Keydets converted 7 of their 9 shots for a percentage of 77.8%. When discussing rebounding, they earned a total of 36 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 23 dimes for the contest while getting 15 steals and 3 rejections. With regard to the defense, VMI allowed the other team to go 50.0% from the floor on 35 out of 70. St. Andrews totaled 8 dimes and 11 steals in the game. Moreover, the Knights totaled 31 rebounds (4 offensive, 27 defensive) and got 3 blocks. St. Andrews finished shooting 47.8% at the free throw line by burying 11 of their 23 shots. They made 10 of 19 attempts from distance.

Greg Parham is one guy who was a major contributor for this contest. He finished with 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting. He played for 22 mins played and also grabbed 4 boards. Parham finished 83.3% from the field and also earned 4 assists. Another guy that saw a lot of time on the hardwood in this contest for the Keydets was Sean Conway. He pulled down 5 rebounds and collected 2 assists. He walked away from this one shooting 33.3% from the floor for this game by going 2-of-6 (5 points). In all, Conway played 17 min.

Penn State had a win-loss mark of 21-10 last year. As an offense, the Nittany Lions connected on 43.1% from the floor, which was ranked 212th in D-1. Penn State totaled 2,327 pts last year (75.1 per game) and they grabbed 38.7 boards per game. They earned an assist 14.3 times per contest (82nd in the country) and they turned it over 11.2 times per game. The Nittany Lions committed 17.5 fouls every game and they shot 69.2% from the free throw line. The Nittany Lions were ranked 145th in college basketball in points given up per game with 68.2. The Penn State defense gave up 32.6% on 3-point attempts (197 of 604) and their opposition knocked down 68.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They forced their opponents into 13.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and allowed teams to shoot 41.1% from the field (70th in college hoops). They gave up 12.1 dimes and 37.5 rebounds per game, which had them ranked 137th and 300th in college hoops.

When they last stepped on the court, the Penn State Nittany Lions took a loss by a final score of 80-69 against the Northwestern Wildcats. The Nittany Lions were able to snag 27 defensive boards and 13 offensive boards totaling 40 in the game. They also turned away 2 shots while getting 4 steals for the matchup. The Wildcats committed 17 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Nittany Lions to the charity stripe for a total of 17 tries. They were able to knock down 13 of the free throws for a rate of 76.5%. Concerning shooting from beyond the arc, Penn State knocked down 10 out of 36 attempts (27.8%). Overall, the Nittany Lions finished shooting 23 out of 70 from the floor which had them shooting 32.9%. The Nittany Lions permitted the Wildcats to bury 26 of 56 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 46.4% in the game. They finished shooting 50.0% from beyond the arc via 11 out of 22 and finished the game at 17 of 23 from the charity stripe (73.9%). In regard to cleaning the glass, Penn State permitted Northwestern to get 37 in all (6 on the offensive side).

Lamar Stevens ended up being a factor for the Nittany Lions for this game. He converted 5 of 20 for the matchup for a rate of 25.0%, which earned him 18 points. Stevens grabbed 8 boards in his 38 minutes played and had 3 assists for the matchup. An additional guy that ended up being a major factor for Penn State was Jamari Wheeler. He notched 4 points in 35 minutes on the hardwood via 2 out of 4 from the floor in the game. Wheeler ended the game having shot 50.0% from the field while also earning 4 dimes and 6 rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take VMI (+20.5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here