Penn State vs Winthrop 11/7/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Winthrop Eagles and Penn State Nittany Lions meet Monday in college basketball action at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Winthrop Eagles are coming off a 23-win season for the second straight year. The Penn State Nittany Lions are coming off a 14-win season and haven’t made the big dance since 2010-11. 

The Winthrop Eagles have won 20-plus games in 3 straight seasons. Cory Hightower returns after averaging 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds, while Kelton Talford averaged 8.5 points and 4.9 rebounds. Sin’Cere McMahon played in more than 400 minutes last season, and Micheal Anumba averaged 3.9 rebounds. Winthrop says goodbye to two of its three double-digit scorers from last season, including their top player in D.J. Burns Jr. However, there’s enough here for Winthrop to be good for a fourth straight season and Hightower has the ability to step into that top player role. The Eagles could certainly win the Big South this year.

The Penn State Nittany Lions enter the season under coach Micah Shrewsberry. Jalen Pickett returns after averaging 13.3 points and 4.3 rebounds, while Seth Lundy averaged 11.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. Myles Dread averaged 1.4 assists and Dallion Johnson played in more than 400 minutes last season. The Penn State Nittany Lions return their top-two players from last season, and that alone makes them intriguing in a competitive Big Ten. PSU also has a solid recruiting class coming in, and I’ll go on record to say this could very well be the season the Nittany Lions end that NCAA Tournament drought. Don’t sleep on Legion of Blue.

The Eagles are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 road games and 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games overall. The Nittany Lions are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 home games and 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games overall. The over is 5-2 in Eagles last 7 overall. The under is 8-2 in Nittany Lions last 10 overall.

These are two legit contenders, as the Winthrop Eagles have the ability to win the Big South, while Penn State is a sneaky contender in the Big Ten. I wouldn’t talk you off the ledge if looking for either spot. With that said, I’m extremely high on Penn State this season, as this team returns a boatload of players from last year and added several talented players as well. The Penn State Nittany Lions will turn heads this season. I’ll leave the points.