Penn State Nittany Lions (9-9) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-5)
January 20, 2024 12:00 pm EDT
The Line: Ohio State Buckeyes -10; Over/Under: +151.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Ohio State Buckeyes meet in college basketball action from the Value City Arena on Saturday afternoon. Who comes out on top in this Big Ten rivalry matchup? Let’s dive in and find out with our Penn State vs. Ohio State Prediction.
Penn State Team Preview
The Penn State Nittany Lions come into this one looking to build on an 87-83 win over Wisconsin last time out. Kanye Clary leads the Nittany Lions in scoring with 19.1 PPG along with 3.3 RPG and 2.7 APG while Ace Baldwin Jr. has 13.2 PPG with team-highs of 4.9 APG and 2.9 SPG to lead Penn State in assists as the only other double-digit scorer for Penn state so far this season. Qudus Wahab also has 9.2 PPG with a team-high 7.9 RPG to lead Penn State on the glass. As a team, Penn State is averaging 76.9 PPG on 43.8% shooting from the field, 30.3% from three and 73.9% from the foul line this season.
Ohio State Team Preview
The Ohio State Buckeyes come into this one looking to snap a three-game losing skid after a 73-65 loss to Michigan last time out. Bruce Thornton leads the Buckeyes in scoring and assists with 16.5 PPG and 4.2 APG while Roddy Gayle Jr. has 14.1 PPG and 5.1 RPG as well on the year. Jamison Battle has 14.6 PPG with 5.4 RPG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Ohio State so far this season. Zed Key has 8.5 PPG while Felix Okpara also has a team-high 7.2 RPG to lead the Buckeyes on the glass this season. As a team, Ohio State is averaging 76.3 PPG on 44.6% shooting from the field, 35.2% from three and 74.7% from the foul line this season. Ohio State will meet Nebraska after this one.
Penn State vs. Ohio State Prediction
I get why Ohio State is favored at home, but this just feels like a lot of points for an Ohio State team that just got beat by a bad Michigan team last time out, and Penn State just took down a really good Wisconsin team. I think even if Penn State loses this game, they can keep it within single digits. Give me the Nittany Lions and the points.
