Penn State vs Indiana Prediction, Odds and Picks - Feb. 3 | College Basketball Season 2023-24
The Penn State Nittany Lions (10-11, 4-6 Big Ten) will travel to Bloomington, IN to take on the Indiana Hoosiers (13-8, 5-5 Big Ten). This game between Big Ten opponents will tip off at 12 p.m. EST on FS1 from the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Penn State comes into this contest after a 61-46 convincing road win at Rutgers on Wednesday. Similarly, the Indiana Hoosiers come off a win at home against Iowa on Tuesday. Prior to that matchup, Indiana was on a three-game skid, all against top 15 opponents.
Penn State vs Indiana: Prediction
Penn State currently sit in 11th place in the Big Ten standings. They previously dropped conference games to Minnesota and Ohio State after shocking No. 11 Wisconsin on Jan. 16. The Nittany Lions will be without their leading scorer, Kanye Clary for the second straight game after he suffered a facial injury against Minnesota.
Penn State will look to players such as senior guard Ace Baldwin and senior forward Qudus Wahab to fill the gap that Clary leaves in the scoring department. Baldwin tallied a team-high 15 points and 7 assists in the loss to Rutgers.
Wahab leads the Nittany Lions this season, averaging 8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. These two seniors will be instrumental on both sides of the ball for the Nittany Lions in this matchup.
The Indiana Hoosiers have had a difficult schedule in the month of January. They had matchups with No. 2 Purdue, No. 11 Wisconsin, and No. 10 Illinois in a 13-day span.
They came off a win against Iowa on Jan. 30, where sophomore center Kel'el Ware shined with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
His performance was vital in that win, as the Hoosiers leading scorer, Malik Reneau (16.0 PTS) left the game after just three minutes with an ankle injury. Reneau is currently listed as probable for this matchup against Penn State.
Indiana will have to battle through many injuries in this game so they will be hopeful Reneau will be ready to go today. If Reneau is not in the lineup today, the Hoosiers will need to see players like Mackenzie Mgbako and Trey Galloway step up.
Mgbako is third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.9 points and is a strong free throw shooter, currently shooting 84.4% from the line. Galloway leads the team in both assists and steals, averaging 3.8 AST and 1.1 STL.
Both teams could be short on their top scorers for this game, meaning both will need other players to step up. A close game is expected but Indiana should be able to emerge victorious, especially if Reneau is good to go for the Hoosiers.
Pick: Indiana -6.5 (-110)
Penn State vs Indiana: Betting odds
Penn State vs Indiana: Key injuries
Penn State
- Guard- K. Clary: Face (OUT)
Indiana
- Guard- X. Johnson: Elbow (OUT)
- Forward- M. Reneau: Ankle (Probable)
- Guard- J. Rayford: Lower Body (OUT for season)
- Guard- S. Burke: Undisclosed (OUT indefinitely)
- Guard- J. Newton: Knee (OUT indefinitely)
Penn State vs Indiana: Head-to-head
This is the first time these two teams have met this season before they meet again on Feb. 24. Penn State have won the last two head-to-head matchups against Indiana. However, Indiana has the advantage in the last ten games, winning six of the ten. In the last ten matchups, the spread is split evenly 5-5.
Penn State vs Indiana: Where to watch
This game will be broadcast live at 12 p.m. EST on FS1 from the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN. Users can also stream this matchup on the Fox Sports app with a valid television provider.
Also Read: Duke vs North Carolina Prediction, Odds and Picks - Feb. 3 | College Basketball Season 2023-24