Penn State Nittany Lions vs Nebraska Cornhuskers Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Penn State Nittany Lions vs Nebraska Cornhuskers

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, NE

TV: BTN

The Penn State Nittany Lions (11-16) are on their way to Pinnacle Bank Arena on Saturday where they will play the Nebraska Cornhuskers (22-4).

The Penn State Nittany Lions played Rutgers and went home with a loss by a final score of 85-72 in their last game. Penn State finished the contest having earned a 55.3% FG percentage (26 of 47) and converted 3 out of their 17 shots from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, the Nittany Lions knocked down 17 of 22 attempts for a rate of 77.3%. In regard to grabbing boards, they compiled 22 with 5 of them being offensive. They also recorded 12 dimes in the matchup while creating 10 turnovers and having 7 steals. In the matter of the defense, Penn State allowed the other team to shoot 56.6% from the field on 30 out of 53 shooting. Rutgers recorded 16 assists and had 10 steals in this game. Moreover, Rutgers pulled down 23 rebounds (4 offensive, 19 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Rutgers went 87.0% at the free throw line by making 20 of 23 shots. They made 5 out of their 16 attempts from beyond the arc. In reference to fouls, the Nittany Lions finished with 19 and Rutgers racked up 18 fouls.

Josh Reed is someone who had an impact for this game. He racked up 22 points on 7 out of 10 shooting. He played for 32 minutes and also pulled down 6 boards. He finished the contest at 70.0% from the field and totaled 1 assist.

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Penn State comes into this one with a win-loss mark of 11-16 this season. They cough up possession 10.0 times per contest and as a team they are committing 15.7 personal fouls per game. As a unit, Penn State is pulling down 29.6 boards per contest and is sitting with 340 assists so far this year, which is 261st in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Nittany Lions are connecting on 32.1% on shots from beyond the arc (190 of 591) and 75.3% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 75.3 points per contest (203rd in college hoops) while hitting 46.9% from the floor.

On defense, the Nittany Lions are able to force 12.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.0 personal fouls. They are giving up 38.5% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 317th in college in points per game allowed (79.2). The Nittany Lions defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 49.7% (774 of 1,556) and they surrender 33.4 boards per game as a squad. They are ranked 353rd in Division 1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 458 relinquished on the season.

In their last game, the Nebraska Cornhuskers took a defeat with a final score of 57-52 when they played Iowa. The Cornhuskers earned 20 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive boards totaling 22 in this matchup. They turned the ball over 12 times, while recording 9 steals in this contest. Iowa was called for 14 fouls for this game which got the Cornhuskers to the charity stripe for a total of 14 attempts. They were able to knock down 11 of the free throws for a clip of 78.6%. When it comes to 3-point shots, Nebraska made 5 of their 24 tries (20.8%). At the conclusion of this game, the Cornhuskers shot 18 out of 44 from the floor which had them sitting at 40.9%. The Cornhuskers allowed Iowa to bury 17 out of 51 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 33.3% for the contest. They finished 26.1% from distance via 6 out of 23 and ended up going 17 of 18 at the charity stripe (94.4%). In reference to rebounds, Nebraska allowed Iowa to pull down 33 in all (11 offensive).

Pryce Sandfort ended up having an impact for the Cornhuskers in this contest. He earned 13 points in his 37 mins of playing time, but wasn't able to get an assist. He buried 3 of 7 in this contest for a rate of 42.9%, but wasn't able to grab a board.

Nebraska has a win-loss mark of 22-4 on the season. The Cornhuskers are committing 14.7 fouls per game and they hit 76.2% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 18.1 times per contest (18th in college) and they cough up possession 9.5 times per contest. Nebraska has accumulated 2,036 points on the campaign (78.3 per contest) and they pull in 35.1 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Cornhuskers are connecting on 46.9% from the floor, which ranks 90th in college.

The Nebraska defense surrenders 29.8% on shots from distance (224 of 752) and their opponents are knocking down 71.4% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 13.7 dimes and 35.1 total rebounds per game, which has them ranked 207th and 228th in those defensive categories. The Cornhuskers defensively are ranked 18th in D-1 in PPG given up with 65.6. They have forced 13.1 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 39.6% from the floor (17th in the nation).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Penn State

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