Michigan St. Spartans vs Penn St. Nittany Lions Betting Picks & Predictions
Michigan St. is on the road playing Penn St. at the Bryce Jordan Center stadium on Wednesday, 12/7/2022 @ 6:30pm EST. Penn St. -4 was the opening favorite and current line is
Game outlook
Michigan St. is on the road playing Penn St. at the Bryce Jordan Center stadium on Wednesday, 12/7/2022 @ 6:30pm EST. Penn St. -4 was the opening favorite and current line is Penn St. -4.25.
When the Michigan State Spartans travel to Happy Valley to play the Penn State Nittany Lions, they will play their second straight Atlantic 10 Conference game. After a 70-63 home loss to Northwestern in a mild upset, the Spartans enter this matchup at 5-4. In their last game, the Nittany Lions lost in double overtime to Clemson. Penn State will open its conference schedule with this game. 6:30pm EST is the time for the opening tap.
The Spartans are Sputtering
As the calendar turns over to a new year, Tom Izzo's Michigan State teams play their finest basketball, so the Spartans' 5-4 record isn't alarming. Nevertheless, three losses in five games is probably not on Izzo's Christmas wish list either. Northwestern beat the Spartans 70-63 on Sunday night, falling behind by nine points in the second half before rallying to cut the lead to one. It was led by A.J. Hoggard, who scored 12 points, had eight assists, and grabbed six rebounds. In addition to Mady Sissoko's 12 points, Joey Hauser added 10 points and eight rebounds to round out the double-digit scorers. Northwestern outrebounded MSU 32-31 and turned the ball over 13 times, resulting in 13 points.
In working out a rotation that he is comfortable with, Izzo mentioned his team's lack of depth. The Spartans' inability to protect the basketball is another concern at this point. Michigan State turns the ball over 13 times per game while forcing only 11 turnovers. The Spartans cannot give away possessions when they are shooting only 44% from the field. Teams are shooting 42% overall and 32% from 3-point range at MSU. Spartan rebounding hasn't been as dominant as it has been in years past, with just a +2.4 edge.