Illinois vs Penn State 3/3/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Penn State Nittany Lions and Illinois Fighting Illini meet Thursday in college basketball action at the State Farm Center. The Penn State Nittany Lions need a win after losing five of their last eight games. The Illinois Fighting Illini look for a win after splitting their last six games.

The Penn State Nittany Lions are averaging 65.3 points on 43.7 percent shooting and allowing 65.7 points on 41.5 percent shooting. Jalen Pickett is averaging 12.8 points and 4.2 assists, while Seth Lundy is averaging 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds. Sam Sessoms is the third double-digit scorer and John Harrar is dishing 1.2 assists. The Penn State Nittany Lions are shooting 34.7 percent from beyond the arc and 72.7 percent from the free throw line. The Penn State Nittany Lions are allowing 35.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 33.4 rebounds per game.

The Illinois Fighting Illini are averaging 76.9 points on 46 percent shooting and allowing 68 points on 41.3 percent shooting. Kofi Cockburn is averaging 21.5 points and 10.7 rebounds, while Alfonso Plummer is averaging 15.5 points and 2.4 rebounds. Trent Frazier is the third double-digit scorer and Jacob Grandison is grabbing 4 rebounds. The Illinois Fighting Illini are shooting 36.9 percent from beyond the arc and 70.2 percent from the free throw line. The Illinois Fighting Illini are allowing 32.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 35.6 rebounds per game.

The Nittany Lions are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games and 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games overall. The Fighting Illini are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games. The under is 4-1 in Nittany Lions last 5 overall. The over is 16-7-1 in Fighting Illini last 24 overall. The road team is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings.

The Illinois Fighting Illini are the better team here, but they’ve been a bit shaky over the last week and have had defensive issues during that stretch. The Penn State Nittany Lions don’t have the firepower to beat the big boys, but they’re a scrappy bunch that competes and only loses by an average of 5.3 points in the underdog role. PSU can hag around here. Give me the points.