USC Trojans vs Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction, 2/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: USC Trojans vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Sunday, February 8, 2026

Location: Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA

TV: BTN

The Penn State Nittany Lions (10-13) will try to beat the USC Trojans (17-6) at Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday.

The USC Trojans faced Indiana and walked away with a win by a score of 81-75 in their last game. With respect to fouls, the Trojans ended up finishing with 17 and Indiana totaled 24 fouls. They made 10 out of their 35 shots from beyond the arc. Indiana finished shooting 81.3% at the free throw line by burying 13 of their 16 shots. In addition, Indiana had 20 rebounds (5 offensive, 15 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Indiana earned 21 dimes and had 8 steals in the game. With regard to defense, USC allowed the other team to go 41.3% from the field on 26 of 63 shooting. They also distributed 14 assists in this matchup in addition to creating 8 turnovers and earning 5 steals. With regard to grabbing rebounds, they earned 36 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Trojans knocked down 25 of their 31 attempts for a percentage of 80.6%. USC ended the contest having earned a 46.3% field goal percentage (25 of 54) and buried 6 of their 17 three-point shots.

Alijah Arenas is a player who had an impact in the game. He accounted for 29 points on 9 out of 23 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 37 mins played and totaled 6 rebounds. He finished the game at 39.1% from the field and totaled 1 assist.

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USC will enter this contest with a mark of 17-6 for the campaign. They currently have an average of 81.4 points per outing (81st in Division 1) on 47.1% from the field. The Trojans are shooting 32.0% on shots beyond the perimeter (144 of 450) and 71.9% from the free throw line. As a unit, USC is snagging 37.7 rebounds per game and is sitting with 357 assists for the campaign, which has them ranked 101st in college hoops in terms of passing. They turn it over 12.6 times per game and as a squad are committing 19.0 personal fouls every game.

On defense, the Trojans are able to force 12.3 turnovers per contest while drawing 21.9 personal fouls. They are giving up 30.3% on shots from downtown while they are 227th in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (75.3). The Trojans defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 41.4% (590 of 1,426) and they relinquish 33.3 boards per contest as a team. They are currently ranked 230th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 324 surrendered on the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Penn State Nittany Lions walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 110-69 when they faced Michigan. With respect to attacking the glass, Penn State allowed Michigan to grab 39 in all (9 offensive). They shot 51.7% from beyond the arc by going 15 out of 29 and finished the game at 15 of 17 at the charity stripe (88.2%). The Nittany Lions permitted Michigan to bury 40 of 66 attempts from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 60.6% in this contest. In all, the Nittany Lions shot 23 for 62 from the field which had them shooting 37.1%. Regarding 3-point attempts, Penn State converted 2 of their 20 attempts (10.0%). They were able to bury 21 of the free throw tries for a clip of 80.8%. Michigan was called for 20 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Nittany Lions to the charity stripe for a total of 26 attempts. They turned the ball over 5 times, while earning 6 steals for this game. The Nittany Lions collected 11 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 19 in the matchup.

Freddie Dilione V pitched in for the Nittany Lions for the game. He converted 8 of 21 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 38.1%, and added 7 rebounds. He tallied 19 points in his 40 mins on the court and accumulated 3 assists for this contest.

Penn State has a record of 10-13 on the campaign. The Nittany Lions are committing 15.5 fouls per contest and they hit 75.3% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 13.2 times per contest (250th in the country) and they cough up possession 9.4 times per contest. Penn State has scored 1,751 pts on the year (76.1 per contest) and they pull in 29.8 boards per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Nittany Lions are connecting on 46.6% from the floor, which ranks them 107th in college.

The Nittany Lions on the defensive end are ranked 320th in Division 1 in points allowed per game with 79.7. They are forcing their opponents into 12.3 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 50.1% from the field (360th in college). The Penn State defense gives up 38.4% on 3-pointers (228 of 593) and opponents are knocking down 76.9% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 17.3 assists and 33.6 boards per contest, which ranks 354th and 128th in those categories.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Penn State

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