usatsi-15341949-cropped.jpg
USATSI

The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Northwestern Wildcats are set to square off in a Big Ten matchup at 7 p.m. ET on Friday at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions are 11-13 overall and 9-4 at home, while Northwestern is 13-13 overall and 3-6 on the road. Penn State has won two of the last three head-to-head matchups, but Northwestern has managed to cover the spread in two of those three meetings.

Both teams have been solid bets against the spread of late, with Northwestern going 6-2-1 ATS in its last nine games, while Penn State is 10-4 in its last 14. The Nittany Lions are favored by 1.5 points in the latest Penn State vs. Northwestern odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under is set at 129. Before entering any Northwestern vs. Penn State picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Penn State vs. Northwestern. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Northwestern vs. Penn State:

  • Penn State vs. Northwestern spread: Penn State -1.5
  • Penn State vs. Northwestern over-under: 129 points

What you need to know about Penn State

Penn State was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Monday as it fell 67-61 to the Maryland Terrapins. The losing side was boosted by forward John Harrar, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 13 boards. Jalen Pickett also had 13 points, six assists, six rebounds and four steals in the game.

However, Penn State failed to attack the rim in that matchup and only got to the free-throw line five times, while Maryland had 19 attempts. The Nittany Lions have now been to the free-throw line seven times or less in five of their last six games and they'll need to have a more attacking mindset on Friday.

What you need to know about Northwestern

Meanwhile, Northwestern beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers 77-65 on Tuesday. It was another big night for Northwestern's forward Pete Nance, who had 20 points and five assists along with five rebounds.

Nance, a fourth-year player for Chris Collins and a former top-100 recruit, is averaging 15.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game this season. Boo Buie and Chase Audige also had 15 points apiece in the victory over Nebraska. They're the team's second and third-leading scorers with Buie averaging 15.0 points per game and Audige averaging 10.7 points per game.

How to make Northwestern vs. Penn State picks

The model is leaning over on the total and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 70 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Penn State vs. Northwestern? And which side of the spread hits nearly 70 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks.