Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction, 3/3/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Location: Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA

TV: BTN

Odds/Point Spread: Minnesota (+4)

The Minnesota Golden Gophers (13-12) go to Bryce Jordan Center on Wednesday where they'll take on the Penn State Nittany Lions (8-13). The spread on this matchup has Penn State as 4-point favorites. The total opens at 147.

Minnesota heads into this one with a mark of 13-12 on the campaign. The Golden Gophers are hitting 28.9% on three-point shots (183 of 634) and 75.2% from the free throw line. They average 73.7 pts per contest (116th in D-1) while hitting 39.9% from the floor. They are turning it over 11.0 times per game and as a team they commit 18.6 fouls per game. As a team, Minnesota is snagging 36.3 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 352 assists on the campaign, which is 48th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. When they are on defense, the Golden Gophers have forced 13.8 turnovers per game and they draw 19.8 fouls. They surrender 35.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 259th in college basketball in PPG allowed (73.5). The Golden Gophers defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 44.4% (655 of 1,476) and they concede 39.6 boards per game as a basketball team. They are currently ranked 329th in college hoops in allowing assists with 371 surrendered this season.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers faced the Nebraska Cornhuskers and took a loss by a final of 78-74 in their last contest. Minnesota ended with a 34.3% FG percentage (24 of 70) and made 8 out of their 30 three-point shots. At the free throw line, the Golden Gophers knocked down 18 of their 24 tries for a percentage of 75.0%. Concerning pulling down boards, they collected 32 with 10 of them being offensive. They also recorded 7 dimes for the matchup as well as creating 18 turnovers and having 7 steals. When it comes to defending, Minnesota allowed their opponent to shoot 54.5% from the floor on 30 out of 55 shooting. Nebraska recorded 19 dimes and had 7 steals in the matchup. On top of that, Nebraska had 37 rebounds (7 offensive, 30 defensive) and had 5 blocked shots. Nebraska finished the game shooting 56.3% from the free throw line by converting 9 of their 16 attempts. They buried 9 of 17 attempts from beyond the arc.

Marcus Carr is a player who was a major factor for the matchup. He totaled 41 points on 11 out of 27 shooting. He played for 40 minutes played and also collected 4 boards. Carr ended up going 40.7% from the floor and also earned 3 assists. One more player that played a role in this game for the Golden Gophers was Jamal Mashburn. He pulled down 1 rebound in 35 min played on the night. He finished 26.7% from the field in the game by going 4-of-15 (12 points). When the game finished, Mashburn wasn't able to get a dime.

Penn State has a win-loss record of 8-13 this season. The Nittany Lions are committing 18.0 fouls per contest while shooting 73.7% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 13.0 times per contest (186th in college hoops) and they lose possession via turnover 11.7 times per game. Penn State has accounted for 1,520 points this season (72.4 per game) and they collect 35.7 rebounds per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Nittany Lions are shooting 40.7% from the floor, which ranks 325th in Division 1. The Nittany Lions on the defensive side of the court are 272nd in D-1 in points allowed per contest with 74.2. The Penn State defense gives up 34.2% from downtown (151 of 442) and their opponents are knocking down 72.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 14.7 assists and 35.0 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 284th and 179th in the nation. They are forcing their opponents into 14.5 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.2% from the field (321st in college hoops).

In their last game, the Penn State Nittany Lions took a defeat with a final score of 73-52 when they faced the Purdue Boilermakers. The Nittany Lions were able to corral 18 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 24 in the matchup. They also coughed up the ball 12 times, while earning 6 steals for the matchup. The Boilermakers were called for 18 fouls in the game which got the Nittany Lions to the free throw line for 8 shots. They were able to make 2 of those for a clip of 25.0%. In the matter of shooting from distance, Penn State made 6 of their 29 tries (20.7%). When the final whistle blew, the Nittany Lions finished 22 out of 62 from the field which gave them a percentage of 35.5%. The Nittany Lions permitted the Boilermakers to knock down 27 out of 52 tries from the floor which left them shooting 51.9% for the game. They wrapped up this game 36.8% from beyond the arc via 7 out of 19 and ended up shooting 12 out of 17 at the free throw line (70.6%). In reference to rebounds, Penn State allowed Purdue to collect 37 in total (5 on the offensive side).

Myreon Jones was important for the Nittany Lions for the game. He converted 5 out of 12 in this contest for a field goal rate of 41.7%, and had 2 rebounds. Jones earned 11 points in his 27 minutes on the hardwood and had 2 dimes for the contest. Someone else who was a determining factor for Penn State was Jamari Wheeler. He came away with 6 assists in 30 mins played, and he shot 4 of 9 from the floor. Wheeler walked away from this one going 44.4% from the floor while also collecting 9 points and 6 rebounds.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Minnesota (+4)

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