Michigan Wolverines vs Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction, 1/6/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Michigan Wolverines vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Location: Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA

TV: FS1

Bryce Jordan Center is the site where the Penn State Nittany Lions (9-5) will try to beat the Michigan Wolverines (13-0) on Tuesday.

The Michigan Wolverines stepped onto the hardwood against USC and walked away with a win by a score of 96-66 in their last game. Michigan wrapped up the contest with a 47.7% field goal percentage (31 out of 65) and knocked down 6 out of their 30 shots from beyond the perimeter. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Wolverines made 28 of their 39 shots for a rate of 71.8%. In reference to rebounding, they collected 38 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 17 assists for this contest while forcing the other team into 21 turnovers and earning 12 steals. Concerning the defense, Michigan let their opponent shoot 34.5% from the field on 20 of 58 shooting. USC dished out 4 assists and had 5 steals in this game. On top of that, USC collected 29 boards (8 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. USC finished the game shooting 63.6% from the free throw line by burying 21 of their 33 shots. They converted 5 of their 23 shots from distance. In the matter of personal fouls, the Wolverines finished with 22 while USC finished the game with 26 personal fouls.

Morez Johnson Jr. is a guy who was a major factor in this matchup. He recorded 29 points on 10 out of 12 shooting. He played for 26 minutes and also grabbed 6 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 83.3% from the floor but wasn't able to get an assist.

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Michigan steps onto the court with a mark of 13-0 for the season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.6 times per game and as a squad are committing 16.4 fouls per game. As a team, Michigan is collecting 44.6 rebounds per game and is sitting with 276 dimes this season, which has them ranked 21st in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. The Wolverines are connecting on 36.8% on 3-pointers (132 of 359) and 71.3% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 96.7 pts per game (2nd in Division 1) while hitting 53.1% from the floor.

Defensively, the Wolverines are forcing 13.7 turnovers per game and they draw 21.8 fouls. They are giving up 29.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 35th in college in opponents points per game (66.5). The Wolverines defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 34.6% (299 of 864) and they relinquish 32.9 boards per contest as a squad. They currently rank 1st in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 118 conceded so far this season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Penn State Nittany Lions took a defeat with a final score of 73-65 against Illinois. The Nittany Lions were able to collect 18 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 29 in this game. They gave up possession 7 times, while earning 7 steals in this matchup. Illinois was called for 17 fouls in the game which got the Nittany Lions to the free throw line for a total of 14 attempts. They were able to make 9 of those for a clip of 64.3%. When discussing shots from downtown, Penn State buried 8 of their 38 tries (21.1%). When all was said and done, the Nittany Lions finished shooting 24 out of 69 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 34.8%. The Nittany Lions allowed Illinois to make 22 out of 56 tries from the field which left them shooting 39.3% in this contest. They shot 22.2% from three-point range by going 6 of 27 and finished the contest at 23 out of 28 from the charity stripe (82.1%). When discussing rebounding, Penn State allowed Illinois to snag 41 in total (11 on the offensive side).

Kayden Mingo ended up having an impact for the Nittany Lions in this matchup. He earned 16 points in his 27 minutes on the hardwood and added 5 dimes in this matchup. He buried 5 of 12 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 41.7%, and tallied 2 rebounds.

Penn State has a record of 9-5 this season. The Nittany Lions commit 15.1 fouls per contest while shooting 71.7% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 13.7 times per game (231st in college hoops) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 9.1 times per contest. Penn State has accumulated 1,093 points for the season (78.1 per contest) and they pull in 31.1 boards per contest. As an offense, the Nittany Lions are connecting on 47.7% from the field, which is 81st in the nation.

The Penn State defense gives up 36.4% on 3-point shots (124 of 341) and their opponents are knocking down 77.1% of their free throw attempts. They concede 15.4 assists and 33.3 boards per contest, which has them ranked 299th and 111th in college. The Nittany Lions defensively are ranked 206th in college in PPG given up with 74.2. They are forcing 14.0 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 47.6% from the field (326th in the country).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Penn State

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