Penn State vs. Michigan Pick – Jan 27, 2025

The Penn State Nittany Lions (13-7) have a tough battle against the 21st-ranked Michigan Wolverines (14-5) on Monday, January 27 at 6:30 PM ET. The action will take place at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the Wolverines are favored with a -8.5 (-115 at Mybookie) point spread.

Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Preview

The Nittany Lions have had some tough luck over their last five games, going 1-4 in that stretch. Three of their losses in that stretch were decided by five points or less, with their recent battle being a 76-75 defeat to the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Penn State was down 43-38 at the half, but made a competitive comeback in the second half to pull with a bucket. Nick Kern Jr. led with 18 points and seven rebounds, while the team had three players in double figures to lead their surge.

Their shooting for the field was at 49.1 percent, but they were rough from three with just 22.7 percent shooting (5-22). Their defense allowed the Hawkeyes to make half of their shots and 47.8 percent from deep (11-23).

The Nittany Lions create 83.8 points a game and shoot 48.8 percent from the field. Their defense has held opponents to 72.0 points a game, which shows they have a solid margin of error.

Michigan Wolverines Betting Preview

The Wolverines have gone 2-3 over their last five battles, with two of them being close overtime outings. Their recent match was a 91-64 blowout loss to the 11th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers.

Michigan was down bad at the half, with a 51-26 deficit, but a fire was lit as the second half was much more respectable on both ends of the floor for them. Vladislav Goldin led with 14 points on 50.0 percent shooting and was one of four players to reach double figures.

They never once recorded a lead in this game, with Purdue taking a 30-point lead at one point. The key metric here was turnovers, as the Wolverines had 22. The Boilermakers took advantage with 29 points off turnovers, which put this game way out of reach.

The Wolverines are averaging 83.5 points a game and have made half of their shots. Defensively they are allowing 70.6 points a game, which offers a solid spread if their defense holds strong.

Odds, Series Trends, and Free Pick

The Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Michigan Wolverines betting odds have been provided by MyBookie, which currently shows the Wolverines favored by 8.5 points. According to market insights, the Wolverines have a 78.0 percent chance of claiming victory. The Nittany Lions have a great opportunity to cover the spread, as their last five games have been relatively close (except in a 91-52 blowout against the 13th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini) even battling tracked opponents.

Final Pick: Penn State Nittany Lions +8.5 (-105)