In University Park, Pennsylvania, the Penn State Nittany Lions will face off against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The game will air on Big Ten Network at 6:30 p.m. ET.
The moneyline odds put Nebraska as a 2-1 favorite. So far, 149.5 points have been tallied.
Forecast: Nebraska vs. Penn State
Nebraska, plus 1.5 (play to -1) is my wager.
With the greatest odds available at DraftKings, I recommend betting on the Cornhuskers spread in Nebraska’s matchup with Penn State.
Penn State vs. Nebraska odds: Penn State -2.
Penn State vs. Nebraska total: 149.5 points
Moneyline odds for Nebraska vs. Penn State: Penn State +115, Nebraska -135
Pick: Nebraska -1.5 (Play to -1) in the Nebraska vs. Penn State matchup.
Penn State vs. Nebraska, my Get Ready to Bet on NCAA Basketball
Shame on Penn State. Despite their 3-12 conference record, the Nittany Lions aren’t a terrible club (top-75 according to KenPom).
So far this season, Penn State’s record against top-50 and top-100 teams is a meager 1.
The wheels are beginning to come off, despite the fact that it has played some opponents close in its 12 league losses.
Penn State has lost all five of their games in a row, both on the road and in the spread. Their home defeats came at the hands of two of the weaker Big Ten teams—Minnesota and Washington—while their three road losses came at the hands of Ohio State, UCLA, and USC.
Season for the Nittany Lions is essentially done.
Contrarily, Nebraska has been experiencing a recent surge. The team has won five of its past six games and has a resume that is good enough to be included in the NCAA Tournament after starting the conference with a 2-7 record. Previous work has served as a guide.
With Nebraska’s defense in place, Penn State will struggle mightily to score. The Nittany Lions’ offensive is lacking in variety, and they rank second-worst in the conference in terms of adjusted efficiency for scoring.
In order to score points, Penn State relies heavily on half-court pick-and-rolls and must reach the free throw line. The Nittany Lions rank first in the conference for free throw attempts and are among the top 15 in the country for ball screens.
Both of these things are stopped at an exceptional level in Nebraska. The Huskers have been the best team in the Big Ten in terms of free throw attempt rate allowed and have been particularly good at guarding ball handlers off screens this season.
Finding clean glances from deep (as well as clear passing and driving lanes) can be tough in Nebraska due to the state’s large perimeter shell.
Penn State’s attack isn’t quite as flexible as Nebraska’s. Brice Williams, Juwan Gary, Connor Essegian, and Rollie Worster are the backbone of a hand-off heavy approach that depends on their creativity, playmaking, and shooting.
The injury that sidelined rising star forward Berke Buyuktuncel has not yet healed, but 7-foot-1 senior center Braxton Meah has shown himself to be an adequate backup center for Andrew Morgan in the frontcourt.
The opponent is facing more matchup problems because Fred Hoiberg has been playing more four-guard looks without Berke.
Looking forward to April, the Huskers will keep their momentum going and defeat a Penn State squad that is unraveling.
