Indiana vs Penn State Prediction College Basketball Picks 1/5/25

In this article, we will formulate an Indiana vs Penn State Prediction for this college basketball game on Sunday, January 5th, at The Palestra. To formulate this prediction, we will examine:

-The Hoosiers’ recent form and recent player performance 

-The Nittany Lions’ recent form and recent player performance

-Recent Betting trends and streaks involving Penn State

-Recent Betting trends and streaks involving Indiana

-Recent betting trends in games played between Penn State and Indiana

-A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for Today’s Game between the Hoosiers and Nittany Lions. 

Indiana Coming off a Key Win

Indiana in the last game faced off against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and the offense was the reason. The defense wasn’t great giving up 74 points but the offense was impressive scoring 84 points and that was enough for the victory. At halftime, they had scored 41 points and in the second half, they added another 43 points on the way to the victory. Guard Miles Rice had a strong game putting up 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists. There were four different players that put up at least 11 points. Rutgers actually outshot Indiana in terms of field goal percentage, but they made 12 three-pointers, compared to the six made by the Scarlet Knights. Two games ago against Winthrop, they were able to secure a 77-68 victory. 

Indiana on the season is averaging 79.1 points while their defense is giving up 78.1 points per game. The offense is ranked 99th in the league while the defense is ranked 154th in the league. They are averaging 59.5 shot attempts per game which is 169th in the league. They are also averaging 15.6 shot attempts per game which is 85th in the league. Malik Reneau is dealing with a knee injury and is questionable for this game. Indiana will meet USC, Iowa, and Illinois after this game.

Why Indiana Will Cover the Spread Against Penn State

• Indiana has won seven of its last eight games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Penn State has lost three of its last four day games against Conference opponents.
• Penn State has lost the first half in seven of its last eight Sunday day games against Conference opponents.

Another Big Game for Penn State

It is another big game for Penn State as they try to pick up another key win. Coming into this game they sit with an 11-2 record overall and they were able to pick up a win in the last game. Penn State faced off against Northwestern and they scored 84 points on the way to the victory. The offense scored 47 points in the second half to get the job done. Penn State shot 50 percent from the field but only 26.7 percent from deep. They only hit four three-pointers, and that could be better here. Forward Zach Hicks had a strong game putting up 20 points, three rebounds, and one assist. 

Penn State is averaging 87.9 points while their defense is giving up 67.9 points per game. The offense is ranked 8th in the league while the defense is ranked 98th. They are shooting 50.35 percent from the field which is 14th best in the league. Penn State is dealing with a couple of injury concerns heading into this game. Kachi Nzeh and Hudson Ward are both hurt and questionable for this game. 

Indiana vs Penn State Prediction

The injury concerns are a problem for Penn State, but even if they are both able to play, I still see Indiana keeping this game close. Penn State won the last game against Northwestern by four points, and I expect it’s going to be similar here. Penn State is a good offensive team, but so is this Hoosiers team that has all kinds of confidence right now.  Indiana is averaging 79.1 points per game and their offense is going to score enough to keep it close. Back Indiana against the spread.