Penn State vs Michigan State 2/15/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Michigan State Spartans and the Penn State Nittany Lions meet in college basketball action from the Bryce Jordan Center on Tuesday night.

The Michigan State Spartans will look to build on their 76-61 win over Indiana last time out. Gabe Brown leads Sparty in scoring with 12.3 PPG while Malik Hall has 10.5 PPG with 4.9 RPG as the only other double-digit scorer for MSU so far this season. Max Christie has 9.8 PPG and Marcus Bingham Jr. has 9.7 PPG with a team-high 6.3 RPG to lead the Spartans on the glass. A.j. Hoggard also has a team-high 5 APG as well for MSU so far this season. As a team, Michigan State is averaging 73.3 PPG on 46.1% shooting from the field, 38.6% from three and 76.8% from the foul line while allowing 66.3 PPG on 40.3% shooting from the field and 29.7% from three this season.

The Penn State Nittany Lions will try to bounce back after losing three straight and six of seven after a 78-70 road loss to Minnesota last time out. Seth Lundy leads the Nittany Lions in scoring with 12.9 PPG along with 5.5 RPG while Sam Sessoms has 11.8 PPG with 3.5 RPG and 3 APG. Jalen Pickett’s got 12.8 PPG with 3.9 RPG and a team-high 4.1 APG and John Harrar has 10.3 PPG with a team-high 9.4 RPG to lead the Nittany Lions on the glass and round out the scoring in double figures for Penn State so far this season. As a team, Penn State is averaging 65.3 PPG on 43.2% shooting from the field, 33.5% from three and 73.8% from the foul line while allowing 65.9 PPG on 41.2% shooting from the field and 34.7% from three this season.

Michigan State is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 road games and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games against a team with a losing record while the under is 5-2 in their last 7 games following a win. Penn State is 6-0 ATS in their last 6 home games and 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games overall while the over is 4-1 in their last 5 home games against a team with a road winning percentage above .600.

I get the case to be made for a home underdog in most spots, but the only way to really upset Michigan State, is to force turnovers which has been the Achilles heel for MSU so far this season. The problem for Penn State is that they’re one of the least ferocious defensive units in the country when it comes to forcing turnovers and I think this is a spot where Michigan State gets themselves a win and cover here.