Penn Quakers vs Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction, 12/29/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Penn Quakers vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Sunday, December 29, 2024

Location: Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA

TV: Peacock

The Penn Quakers (4-8) are traveling to Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday where they will take on the Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2).

The Penn Quakers stepped onto the hardwood against George Mason and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 85-53 in their last contest. In regard to personal fouls, the Quakers ended up with 15 and George Mason accumulated 12 personal fouls. They made 9 out of their 18 tries from 3-point land. George Mason shot 84.2% from the free throw line by burying 16 of 19 tries. Additionally, George Mason snagged 37 rebounds (7 offensive, 30 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. George Mason dished out 20 assists and had 10 steals for this contest. Regarding defense, Penn allowed their opponent to shoot 50.8% from the field on 30 of 59 shooting. They also dished out 14 assists for the game in addition to creating 7 turnovers and having 3 steals. When discussing pulling down rebounds, they earned 27 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Quakers knocked down 5 of 9 tries for a rate of 55.6%. Penn ended the game having earned a 32.2% FG percentage (19 out of 59) and made 10 of their 32 shots from downtown.

Ethan Roberts is one player who was a major contributor in this matchup. He finished the game shooting 30.0% from the field and also earned 5 assists. He saw the court for 31 minutes and also snagged 10 rebounds. He scored 10 points on 3 out of 10 shooting.

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Penn comes into this contest with a record of 4-8 this year. They have an average of 63.2 points per outing (352nd in the nation) while shooting 38.9% from the floor. The Quakers are shooting 29.3% on 3-point shots (90 of 307) and 64.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, Penn is pulling in 34.3 boards per contest and has earned 148 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 301st in the nation in terms of passing. They are turning it over 11.3 times per game and as a group are committing 14.8 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Quakers are forcing their opponents into 9.2 turnovers per game while drawing 15.1 personal fouls. They currently rank 280th in D-1 in giving up assists with 182 relinquished on the campaign. The Quakers defense is giving up an opponent FG percentage of 44.5% (324 of 728) and they concede 38.4 boards per contest as a team. They give up 40.0% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 235th in D-1 in PPG allowed (73.3).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Penn State Nittany Lions got the victory with a final of 75-64 against Drexel. The Nittany Lions snagged 18 defensive rebounds and 16 offensive rebounds totaling 34 for the game. They gave up possession of the ball 8 times, while recording 8 steals for the contest. Drexel had 14 fouls for the contest which got the Nittany Lions to the free throw line for 15 tries. They were able to bury 14 of them for a rate of 93.3%. Pertaining to 3-point shots, Penn State converted 3 of their 14 tries (21.4%). In all, the Nittany Lions finished 29 out of 68 from the field which had them shooting 42.6%. The Nittany Lions allowed Drexel to make 26 out of 56 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 46.4% in the matchup. They shot 21.7% from behind the 3-point line by going 5 out of 23 and walked away from this one shooting 7 of 9 at the free throw line (77.8%). When talking about cleaning up the glass, Penn State permitted Drexel to grab 28 in total (9 offensive).

Yanic Konan Niederhauser ended up being important for the Nittany Lions in this matchup. He buried 7 out of 13 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 53.8%, and added 6 rebounds. He scored 18 points in his 29 minutes on the hardwood, but wrapped up this contest with no dimes.

Penn State has a record of 10-2 on the campaign. The Nittany Lions are responsible for committing 17.3 fouls per game and they go 74.7% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 19.0 times per contest (8th in college hoops) and they turn the ball over 11.6 times per contest. Penn State has scored 1,061 points this season (88.4 per contest) and they pull down 37.2 boards per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Nittany Lions are connecting on 50.8% from the field, which is 12th in college.

The Nittany Lions on the defensive side of the court are 82nd in D-1 in PPG given up with 67.1. They have forced 17.3 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.4% from the field (144th in the nation). The Penn State defense allows 32.2% on three-point shots (85 of 264) and their opponents are knocking down 68.0% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 14.7 assists and 32.4 boards per contest, ranking them 289th and 87th in those categories on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Penn

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