The Bucknell Bison and the Penn State Nittany Lions meet Saturday in college basketball action from Bryce Jordan Center. Bucknell lost to Princeton in their last game, dropping to 2-7 overall. As for Penn State, they’re on a three-game losing streak and fell to 4-3 this year after a loss to VCU. Let’s get into our Bucknell vs. Penn State prediction. 

Bucknell Bison 

The Bison have only a pair of wins so far this year in a rough campaign; those came over Niagara and Southern Indiana. Otherwise, Bucknell fell to Delaware, Penn, La Salle, Duke, St. Bonaventure, and Marist to kick off the season. In their loss to the Foxes 73-49, Bucknell shot a dismal 28.8 percent from the field and 7-of-35 (20 percent) from 3-point range. 

Bucknell’s latest loss came at the hands of Princeton. The Bison had a surprising 45-40 lead on the Tigers at the break but scored just 26 points from there in an 85-71 loss. Jack Forrest led the team in scoring with 21 points and three assists in the defeat. 

More College Basketball Picks: Marquette vs Wisconsin Prediction!

Penn State Nittany Lions

Over on the Penn State side, they started off the season on a great run at 4-0. The wins in that time came versus Delaware State, Lehigh, St. Francis PA, and Morehead State. The Nittany Lions lost to Texas A&M and Butler in their next pair, however. Penn State gave up 50 percent shooting to the Bulldogs in an 88-78 result. 

The Nittany Lions’ losing streak continued in their last matchup versus VCU. After a 46-40 halftime deficit, Penn State limped to an 86-74 finish. Ace Baldwin led the way with 27 points with five assists, while Qudus Wahab added 14 points and six rebounds in 27 minutes of work. 

BUCKNELL VS PENN STATE PREDICTION 

I may just take a stab at Bucknell. The Bison played quite well in the first half of their last outing versus a tricky Princeton team and ultimately shot 51 percent from the floor with 9-of-18 (50 percent) from 3-point range. Bucknell’s rebounding wasn’t great though (23), and they gave up 58.9 percent shooting on the other side. The Bison haven’t scored very well this year so it’s going to take a big push to cover on Saturday. 

As for Penn State, they’ve hit 74 or more points in every game so far. This is a prime opportunity for the Nittany Lions to right the ship and they should post a blowout win here. If the Bison can rack up some points in garbage time though, I think a Bucknell pick makes sense.