Penn State vs Minnesota 3/9/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Minnesota Golden Gophers and Penn State Nittany Lions meet Wednesday in the college basketball Big Ten First Round at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Minnesota Golden Gophers look to snap a four-game losing streak. The Penn State Nittany Lions look to snap a three-game losing streak.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers are averaging 67.6 points on 44 percent shooting and allowing 69.5 points on 45.4 percent shooting. Jamison Battle is averaging 17.4 points and 6.3 rebounds, while Payton Willis is averaging 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds. EJ Stephens is the third double-digit scorer and Luke Loewe is grabbing 2.4 rebounds. The Minnesota Golden Gophers are shooting 37.1 percent from beyond the arc and 71.8 percent from the free throw line. The Minnesota Golden Gophers are allowing 33.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 27.8 rebounds per game.

The Penn State Nittany Lions are averaging 64.7 points on 43.2 percent shooting and allowing 65.3 points on 41.4 percent shooting. Jalen Pickett is averaging 12.8 points and 4.3 assists, while Seth Lundy is averaging 12.4 points and 5.1 rebounds. Sam Sessoms is the third double-digit scorer and John Harrar is dishing 1.1 assists. The Penn State Nittany Lions are shooting 34.3 percent from beyond the arc and 73.2 percent from the free throw line. The Penn State Nittany Lions are allowing 35.3 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 33.3 rebounds per game.

The Golden Gophers are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 neutral site games and 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Nittany Lions are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite and 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games overall. The over is 5-0 in Golden Gophers last 5 overall. The under is 6-1 in Nittany Lions last 7 overall. The favorite is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

Neither team enters this tournament in great form, but it is far to say the Penn State Nittany Lions have been the better team, have shown us more, and they’re a bit more trustworthy. The Minnesota Golden Gophers have struggled a lot in Big Ten play, and they lose in the underdog role by an average of 6.9 points. Penn State wins by an average of 6.3 points as a favorite. We’re not laying a lot here. Give me PSU.