The Penn State Nittany Lions take on the Northwestern Wildcats at 7 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center
The Nittany Lions are currently 11-2 and 1-1 in conference play. While the Wildcats stand at 10-3 and 1-1 in conference play.. Penn State has earned big wins over Purdue Fort Wayne, Virginia Tech and Purdue. The two Nittany Lion losses were to Clemson and Rutgers.
The Wildcats have earned wins over the likes of Illinois, UNLV, and Georgia Tech. Their three losses were all five points or less to Dayton, Butler, and Iowa.
Northwestern is currently ranked No. 45 in the NET rankings while Penn State is No. 37.
Happy Valley Insider gets you primed for the matchup with how to watch, betting odds, and more.
Northwestern has shot 33.5% from 3-pt on 79-of-236 shooting. Compared to Penn State’s 103-of-288 (35.8%). Penn State is far more efficient as they also shoot 50.4% from the field and the Wildcats only shoot 45.2%.
The Nittany Lions also score an impressive 88.2 points per game while the Wildcats only score 74.6 points per game.
On the other hand, Northwestern only turns the ball over 8.9 times per game. Although, Penn State averages 10.1 steals per game, the Nittany Lions will need to work for their forced turnovers. For comparison Penn State turns the ball over 11.3 times per game.
Northwestern's leading scorer, Nick Martinelli is averaging 20.2 points per game.Martineli is a 6’7” junior forward.
Puff Johnson will most likely be the main defender covering Martinelli. Where Johnson's goal will be to hold Martinelli to less than 52.8% from the field and 50% from three. Johnson should also be able to force more than 1.5 Martinelli turnovers.
Another key player for the Wildcats is Brooks Barnhizer. The 6"6' senior guard has only played nine games this season but is already drawing buzz for Big Ten Player of the Year.
Star point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. will likely matchup against Barnhizer. The Lafayette, Indiana native is averaging 20.1 points per game, 9.4 rebounds per game, and 4.0 assists per game.
Barnhizer also turns the ball over 1.9 times per game. So, with Baldwin Jr. averaging 2.1 steals per game this should be a close matchup.
Northwestern also only has three 10+ points per game scorers compared to Penn State's five players. The Nittany Lions have more well-rounded depth compared to the star power, one-two punch of the Wildcats.
HOW TO WATCH...
TV: Peacock - Jac Collinsworth (pxp) & Stephen Bardo (analyst)
WHO: Penn State Nittany Lions (11-2) vs Northwestern Wildcats (10-13)
WHEN: 7:00 pm ET
WHERE: Bryce Jordan Center - University Park, PA
SPREAD: Penn State -4.5
SERIES HISTORY....
Penn State and Northwestern have faced off 44 times in school history. The series dates back to the 1999-00 season where Wildcats came out on top. The latest matchup however comes with the Wildcats on 2-game series winning streak with both wins coming in the 2023-24 season. Overall, Penn State leads the series 27-17 while being 13-6 at home. The Nittany Lions are looking for their first win over the Wildcats since the Big Ten Tournament on March 10, 2023.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS....
PROJECTED STARTERS RANKED AS RECRUITS....
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