The Penn State Nittany Lions (8-7) will aim for back-to-back Big Ten victories when they face the Northwestern Wildcats (11-3) on Wednesday night. Penn State has won three of its last four games overall, including a 79-73 win over Michigan on Sunday. Northwestern suffered a blowout loss at then-No. 9 Illinois last Tuesday before bouncing back with an 88-74 win over Michigan State on Sunday. The Nittany Lions won both meetings between these teams last season, but those wins came by a combined five points.
Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Bryce Jordan Center. The Wildcats are favored by 1 point in the latest Penn State vs. Northwestern odds, while the over/under is 141.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Northwestern vs. Penn State picks, you’ll want to see the NCAA Basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 10 of the 2023-24 season on a 105-69 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $2,000 for $100 players. It is also off to a fast 12-5 start on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Northwestern vs. Penn State. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines for the game:
- Penn State vs. Northwestern spread: Northwestern -1
- Penn State vs. Northwestern over/under: 141.5 points
- Penn State vs. Northwestern money line: Penn State +101, Northwestern -121
- Penn State vs. Northwestern picks: See picks here
Why Penn State can cover
Penn State has won two of its last three conference games, starting with an 83-80 win against Ohio State as a 5-point home underdog last month. The Nittany Lions rallied from 18 points down in the second half, as Ace Baldwin Jr. knocked down a 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining to cap off the comeback. They added another home victory in conference play on Sunday, beating Michigan as 3-point underdogs in a 79-73 final.
Baldwin, a senior guard, poured in 25 points on 8 of 13 shooting in a game where Penn State scored 52 points in the second half. The Nittany Lions trailed by as many as 14 points and never took the lead in the first half, but they outscored the Wolverines by 15 points over the first 10 minutes of the second half. They have won nine of their last 10 home games, and they have won five straight meetings between these teams.
Why Northwestern can cover
Northwestern has won four of its last five games, including road wins against DePaul and Arizona State before Christmas. The Wildcats added an 88-74 win over Michigan State on Sunday, with all five of their starters scoring in double figures. Senior guard Boo Buie posted his first career double-double with 19 points and 10 assists, while senior guard Ty Berry scored a team-high 22 points on 7 of 11 shooting.
The Wildcats dished out 22 assists on 32 made field goals while committing just five turnovers in their clean performance against the Spartans. Buie has finished with zero turnovers twice during conference play and three times overall this season. Northwestern has covered the spread in four of its last six games played in January. See which team to pick here.
How to make Penn State vs. Northwestern picks
The model has simulated Northwestern vs. Penn State 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Penn State vs. Northwestern, and which side of the spread hits 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 105-69 roll on its top-ranked college basketball picks, and find out.
