Penn State Nittany Lions vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights Prediction, 3/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Penn State Nittany Lions vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Date: Sunday, March 8, 2026

Location: Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, NJ

TV: BTN

Jersey Mike’s Arena is where the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (12-18) will try to beat the Penn State Nittany Lions (12-18) on Sunday.

The Penn State Nittany Lions stepped onto the hardwood against Ohio State and went home with a loss by a final score of 94-62 in their last contest. Penn State ended the contest having earned a 38.6% FG percentage (17 out of 44) and made 8 out of their 19 shots from distance. At the charity stripe, the Nittany Lions knocked down 20 of their 24 attempts for a percentage of 83.3%. In reference to rebounding, they compiled 12 with 1 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 11 assists for the game as well as creating 9 turnovers and earning 7 steals. When discussing defense, Penn State allowed their opponent to shoot 66.7% from the floor on 34 out of 51 shooting. Ohio State recorded 22 assists and had 5 steals for the contest. Furthermore, Ohio State snagged 33 rebounds (5 offensive, 28 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Ohio State finished the game shooting 66.7% when shooting free throws by knocking down 10 of their 15 attempts. They buried 16 of 23 attempts from long range. Regarding personal fouls, the Nittany Lions finished with 14 while Ohio State recorded 18 personal fouls.

Freddie Dilione V is a guy who had an impact in this game. He totaled 15 points on 5 of 11 shooting. He played for 33 minutes but ended the game without a board. He walked away from this one shooting 45.5% from the floor and distributed 1 assist.

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Penn State steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss record of 12-18 so far this season. They currently have an average of 74.3 points per game (227th in the nation) while connecting on 46.9% from the field. The Nittany Lions are hitting 32.7% on three-point attempts (211 of 645) and 75.5% from the charity stripe. As a team, Penn State is pulling down 29.0 boards per contest and has accounted for 377 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 296th in the country in terms of passing. They are turning it over 10.3 times per contest and as a squad are committing 15.5 fouls per game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Nittany Lions are forcing 12.2 turnovers per game while drawing 16.9 personal fouls. They give up 39.3% on 3-point shots while they are 323rd in Division 1 in points per game allowed (79.6). The Nittany Lions are giving up a field goal percentage of 50.2% (866 of 1,726) and they surrender 33.2 boards per game as a unit. They currently rank 351st in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 519 relinquished this season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 91-87 when they played Michigan State. With respect to rebounding, Rutgers permitted Michigan State to snag 35 in all (10 on the offensive side). They went 33.3% from 3-point land by going 4 of 12 and ended up shooting 25 of 30 at the charity stripe (83.3%). The Scarlet Knights permitted Michigan State to convert 31 out of their 53 tries from the field which left them shooting 58.5% in the matchup. When all was said and done, the Scarlet Knights finished the game shooting 31 for 65 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.7%. When it comes to 3-point attempts, Rutgers made 10 out of 18 tries (55.6%). They were able to make 15 of those for a percentage of 78.9%. Michigan State was called for 15 personal fouls in this contest which took the Scarlet Knights to the free throw line for a total of 19 tries. They also turned the ball over 7 times, while getting 9 steals for this contest. The Scarlet Knights snagged 13 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards totaling 21 in this game.

Tariq Francis pitched in for the Scarlet Knights for the matchup. He racked up 25 points in his 32 mins on the court and tallied 5 assists for the game. He made 8 out of 17 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 47.1%, but finished without a board.

Rutgers has a win-loss mark of 12-18 this year. As an offensive unit, the Scarlet Knights are hitting on 41.7% from the field, which ranks 333rd in Division 1. Rutgers has scored 2,124 points on the season (70.8 per contest) and they collect 32.9 boards per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 11.8 times per contest (326th in the country) and they are turning it over 10.2 times per game. The Scarlet Knights are committing 16.7 personal fouls per game and they connect on 73.7% from the free throw line.

The Scarlet Knights on the defensive end are ranked 239th in college in points allowed per contest with 75.9. They are forcing 11.5 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 46.3% from the floor (297th in college). The Rutgers defense allows 36.5% on three-point shots (248 of 679) and opponents are converting on 75.9% of their free throw attempts. They give up 15.4 dimes and 36.3 rebounds per game, which ranks 309th and 294th in those categories.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Penn State

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