It is funny how conference play can very quickly separate the men from the boys in college basketball. Teams that come tearing out of the gate to start the season can very quickly be found out once they start facing the other teams in their conference. Wisconsin and Penn State lock horns in a Big-10 NCAA Basketball betting match-up on Wednesday night, and are a perfect example of how conference play can make or break your season.
Analyzing the Badgers vs Nitanny Lions College Hoops Lines Preview & Game Info
Time: Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Bryce Jordan Center, State College, Pa.
National TV: Big Ten Network
Opening line: Wisconsin -10
Why Bet On the Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State (15-11, 3-10) got off to a pretty impressive start to the season, but quickly saw how overmatched they were once they reached the Big-10 portion of their schedule. They lost their first 6 games in conference play, before going 3-4 in the 7 games that followed that major hiccup. The Lions have had to play ranked opponents in 3 of their last 4 games, and have lost all of them. The prospect of facing a red hot Wisconsin team cannot be one that is filling them with a lot of confidence. If there is a positive to be found in the Penn State season to this point, it would have to be the play of senior guard D.J. Newbill, who is averaging 20.8 PPG. He is coming off a very impressive 25-point performance in a loss to Maryland on Valentine’s Day. He is going to have to deliver something similar if Penn State hope to hang with the Badgers.
Why Bet on the Wisconsin Badgers
#5 ranked Wisconsin (23-2, 11-1) are about as hot as it gets right now, as they are on an 8-game winning streak during which they have been totally dominant. That win streak has positioned them as a clear #1 in the Big-10 Conference, with a 2.5 game lead over their nearest rivals. While it would be unfair to categorize Wisconsin as a one-man team, there can be no denying the impact of Frank Kaminsky. The last Badgers loss came against Rutgers at a time when the big man was sidelined and unable to play. In the 8 games that followed that loss, Kaminsky has scored 20 plus points in 5 of those games.
Wisconsin vs Penn State Key Betting Trends
- Penn State is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
- Penn State is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Penn State’s last 5 games
- Penn State is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home
- Wisconsin is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games
- Wisconsin is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Wisconsin’s last 7 games
- Wisconsin is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Consider This Before Placing Your Bet
The two met up on New Year’s Eve, and it was pretty much a no contest, as the Badgers rolled to an 89-72 win. Given the way that these two teams are playing at the moment, it really wouldn’t be a surprise to see a similar type of score line on Wednesday night.
