Feb 8th NCAA Odds and Picks: Penn State at Michigan State

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

by Joe Rodriguez

Draymond Green - Feb 8th NCAA Odds and Picks: Penn State at Michigan State

No. 12 Michigan State Spartans has been one of the most dominant home teams in the country this season and owns the third-best scoring defense (59.1 points allowed) in the Big Ten.

Penn State Nittany Lions counters with the worst-shooting (38.3 percent) and lowest-scoring offense (61.3) in the conference. Any chance the Nittany Lions have of pulling the upset rests on the shoulders of point guard Tim Frazier, who leads his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals.

However, he will likely draw Keith Appling – one of the Big Ten's best defenders – for most of this contest.

- Penn State Nittany Lions @ Michigan State Spartans
When: 6:30 PM ET, Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Where: Jack Breslin Student Events Center, East Lansing, Michigan
TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
Check Live NCAA Basketball Odds on Justbet Sportsbook .

Justbet Sportsbook currently have the Spartans listed as 14½-point favorites versus the Nittany Lions.

Penn State Nittany Lions (10-14): With five assists in Saturday's loss to Iowa, Frazier became just the third Penn State player to score 400 points and record 150 assists in a season. Considering how stagnant this offense has been most of the season – the Nittany Lions have scored 58 or fewer points in seven of 11 conference games – Frazier has thrived, posting a Big Ten-best 12 20-point games, including three in his last four outings. Penn State is winless on the road in conference play, losing by an average of 16.3 points, and has just one victory away from home all season long.

Michigan State Spartans (18-5): The Spartans shot 52.2 percent from the field in their win against Michigan and collected 12 offensive rebounds on 22 missed shots. Amazingly, Draymond Green matched the Wolverines' rebounding output by himself (16), becoming just the fourth Big Ten player to equal his opponent's total in a game since the 1996-97 season. This is MSU's final tune-up before traveling to conference leader No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday. Michigan State holds a 29-7 advantage in the all-time series with Penn State, winning 18 of 19 meetings in East Lansing.

1. All but one of Michigan State’s 14 home wins has been by double figures. The Spartans’ lone single-digit home victory was a nine-point win over Lehigh on Dec. 22.

2. Frazier, a junior who is second in the conference with 18.3 points per game, has yet to score a point in two career games at East Lansing.

3. Green needs two blocked shots and three steals to move into sole possession of second and fifth place, respectively, on the Spartans’ all-time lists in each category.

BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Spartans 72, Nittany Lions 53.

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