Penn State basketball hits the road tonight to take on an equally struggling Northwestern team. The Nittany Lions are the only remaining Big Ten team without a win in conference play.
Who: Northwestern Wildcats
NET Ranking (PSU): 70 (129)
Kenpom Ranking (PSU): 62 (125)
When: Thursday, January 29
Where: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, IL
Time: 8:00
TV: Peacock
radio: Penn State Sports Network
Line: Northwestern -8.5 (ESPNBet)
Northwestern is just 1-8 in conference play, with its only win coming against USC on January 21. Efficiency metrics are still like those of the Wildcats, with KenPom ranking them 62nd as of this morning.
While Nick Martinelli (23.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg) is the undisputed leader, Erinton Page (12.1 ppg) and Jayden Reed (10.9 ppg) are also solid scoring threats for the Wildcats. With Northwestern ranking No. 156 in effective field goal percentage, this is not a great shooting team. His numbers are even worse from outside, ranking No. 309 in three-point field goal percentage. This may be just what the doctor ordered for a Penn State defense that can’t stop anything this season.
Defensively, Northwestern is average, ranking No. 92 on KenPom’s defensive efficiency metric. The ceiling for this Wildcats team is 70 points. In all eight of their Big Ten losses, Northwestern gave up at least 70 points and in their only conference win they held USC to 68.
It is a road game and Northwestern is the better team statistically, which often leads to losses. Penn State has played many close games in conference play against the top teams in the league, but the situation has worsened since the loss to Maryland. It should have been close, but Northwestern made enough big plays against a weak Penn State defense to seal the deal.
Northwestern 73, Penn State 68
<a href=