Penn State vs Wisconsin Prediction 3/8/25 College Basketball Picks

The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Wisconsin Badgers meet Saturday in college basketball action from the Kohl Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Penn State vs. Wisconsin prediction.

Matchup History

These two teams have yet to meet this season, but last season in the lone meeting, Penn State picked up an 87-83 win at home on January 16th, 2024, to snap Wisconsin’s five-game win streak in this head-to-head matchup.

Penn State Recap

The Penn State Nittany Lions come into this game looking to finish the season on a high note after a 68-64 loss to Maryland last time out to slip to 15-15 on the year.

Nittany Lions Lose Back-To-Back Games

Ace Baldwin Jr. leads Penn State in scoring and assists with 13.7 PPG and 7.3 APG along with a team-high 2.3 SPG as well this season. Nick Kern Jr. has 11.9 PPG with 5.1 RPG while Yanic Konan Niederhauser has 12.9 PPG with a team-high 6.2 RPG to lead Penn State in rebounding up to this point in the year. Zach Hicks has 11.7 PPG with 4.8 RPG to cap off the scoring in double figures for Penn State this season. Freddie Dilione V also has 9.3 PPG with 2.8 RPG as well on the year. As a team, Penn State is averaging 79.4 PPG on 47.7% shooting from the field, 33.4% from behind the arc, and 75.8% from the foul line this season.

Why the Penn State Nittany Lions will win

• Wisconsin has lost three of its last four day games against the Big Ten Conference at Kohl Center.

Wisconsin Recap

The Wisconsin Badgers come into this game looking to add on to their 74-67 win over Minnesota last time out to sit at 23-7 on the year.

Badgers Looking For Consistency Entering Conference Tournament

John Tonje leads the Badgers in scoring with 19.2 PPG along with 4.9 RPG while John Blackwell has 15.2 PPG with 5 RPG and 2.2 APG. Nolan Winter has 10 PPG with 6.1 RPG to lead the Badgers in rebounding to cap off the scoring in double figures for Wisconsin so far this season. Steven Crowl also has 9.6 PPG with 5.5 RPG and 2.5 APG as well on the year while Max Klesmit has 9.7 PPG with a team-high 2.7 APG to lead the Badgers in the assist department. As a team, Wisconsin is averaging 81.2 PPG on 46.5% shooting from the field, 35.4% from behind the three-point line, and 83.3% from the foul line so far this season.

Why the Wisconsin Badgers will win

• Wisconsin has won 29 of its last 31 games at Kohl Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Penn State has lost seven of its last eight road games.

Total Points Facts

• Thirty-two of Wisconsin’s last 34 day games against non-AP-ranked opponents at Kohl Center have produced a total of 150 or fewer points.
• Twelve of Penn State’s last 13 day games have produced a total of 152 or fewer points.

Penn State vs. Wisconsin Prediction

I’m with Wisconsin here. In certain instances, I could get behind a rally-the-troops kind of situation, where Penn State would try to pull off the upset to head into the conference tournament with momentum, but the Nittany Lions are eliminated from contention for the Big Ten tournament as the conference changed their format with the additions of USC, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon. Wisconsin on the other hand, has been so strong at home, and I just don’t see Penn State keeping up for a full 40 minutes. Give me the Badgers here.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Wisconsin -11.5