Northwestern vs Penn State Pick – Basketball Predictions & Odds 3/10/23
Penn State Nittany Lions (20-12) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (21-10)
March 10, 2023 6:30 pm EDT
The Line: Northwestern Wildcats PK / Penn State Nittany Lions PK ; Over/Under:
(Get latest betting odds)
The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Northwestern Wildcats meet Friday in Big Ten Tournament college basketball action from the United Center. Penn State is sitting at 20-12 this year. The Lions beat Illinois in their tournament game on Thursday. As for Northwestern, they’re 21-10 overall and coming off a victory over Rutgers back on Sunday. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State got through their first 24 games this year with a 14-10 record. The Nittany Lions went 5-2 over their final seven games, beating Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio State, Northwestern and Maryland along the way. The losses came to Maryland and Rutgers.
On Thursday in the tournament versus Illinois, the Nittany Lions held a slim 31-30 edge by halftime. Penn State hit a 48-46 run in the second and emerged with a 79-76 victory. Tops in scoring was Andrew Funk on 20 points, and Seth Lundy doubled on 17 points with 10 rebounds.
Northwestern Wildcats
Over on the Northwestern side, they got through their first 24 games with a 17-7 record. The Wildcats completed their year with a 4-3 stretch, beating Purdue, Indiana, Iowa and Rutgers with losses otherwise to Illinois, Maryland and Penn State.
Matched up against Rutgers on Sunday, the Wildcats took a 25-21 edge into the second half. Northwestern hit a 40-32 run from there and won 65-53. Brooks Barnhizer led the way with a double-double on 16 points and 10 rebounds.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll probably stay with Northwestern in this one. I could go either way, though. The Wildcats halted a three-game losing streak with their victory over Rutgers on Sunday. Northwestern hasn’t exactly been lighting up the scoreboard lately; they’ve hit 65 or fewer points in six of their last seven outings. That said, the Wildcats have generally been pretty solid on defense otherwise. As for Penn State, they’re on a three-game win streak right now and are coming off a nice win over a scrappy Illinois squad. Penn State and Northwestern last met on March 1 in a 68-65 overtime road win for the Nittany Lions at Welsh-Ryan Arena. This one’s bound to be another close matchup, and I like Northwestern to get some revenge. It’ll be a fun watch regardless, though.
