Penn State vs Northwestern Prediction, Picks & Odds | 29 Jan 2026

College Basketball Betting Preview: Penn State vs Northwestern

The Penn State Nittany Lions go up against the Northwestern Wildcats, with tip-off scheduled for 20:00 on Thursday, January 29.

Our prediction is for Northwestern to cover the spread when they go up against Penn State. The -8.5 line looks attractive at -110 and we’re expecting a bigger margin of victory.

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Penn State Nittany Lions suffered a defeat in their previous game. A 84-78 scoreline occurred on the road against Ohio State Buckeyes.

Northwestern Wildcats lost on the road in their last game. UCLA Bruins won 71-64.

Head-to-Head Statistics

The last matchup between Penn State and Northwestern saw the former win. It was a 84-80 scoreline. It’s been seven Penn State wins in the past 10 games between these teams.

NCAAB	Overall	PF	PA	N. Pts	Home	Away	Strk
Northwestern	9-11	1530	1434	96	7-6	2-5	1L
Penn State	9-11	1532	1555	-23	8-7	1-4	7L

View Full Standings

Penn State vs Northwestern Prediction & Picks

We dive into the top Penn State vs Northwestern betting angles, including our main match prediction, best correct score play and a bet builder tailored for value.

Game Prediction

We expect Northwestern to cover the -8.5 line on the spread. This is a really good number and that’s why we’re playing the favorites at -110 for this college showdown.

The formbook is always a smart starting point when making basketball predictions. Up-to-date college hoops team news is just as important, while the stats we provide often reveal valuable insights.

Key Penn State vs Northwestern stats:

• The +8.5 line hasn’t been covered by Penn State in 3 of their last 5 games.

Northwestern -8.5 Probability

The top sportsbooks imply that our pick has a 52.4% prospect of winning. Our experts think there’s a stronger chance of success and calculate the probability to be closer to 60%. The wager can be recommended for this precise reason.

There are options to buy and sell different amounts of points and effectively choose the line which makes the most appeal. It all comes down to how safe or risky you want to play things.

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Our Game Prediction

Northwestern -8.5 @ -110 Bet Now

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Correct Score Prediction

Penn State 71 - 82 Northwestern

There’s a huge payout on the cards should you correctly predict the correct score. We’re siding with the Wildcats to claim a 82-71 win which will hopefully go close.

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Penn State vs Northwestern Odds

The odds and lines below are updated regularly and may differ from the prices shown in our picks, which are captured at the time of publication.

With an estimated 82% chance of winning, the sportsbooks are taking no chances with their -455 betting odds about Northwestern triumphing in this college game. The market suggests that Penn State are least likely to win at +310.

There is a spread of 8.5 and total points has a line of 149.5. There are many ways to bet on basketball including the Totals. If you’re wanting to back Over 149.5, the odds are -110.

The good news is that you can access a wide range of team props and game lines for most college basketball contests. The best betting apps have a huge range of pre-game and in-game wagering options.

Moneyline

Penn State

+310

Northwestern

-455

Point Spread

Penn State +8.5

-110

Northwestern -8.5

-110

Total Points

Under 149.5

-110

Over 149.5

-110

Should you be more interested in a specific individual who is competing, check out the gambling sites’ prop bets where you can pick out player lines that focus on performance rather than the game result.

It’s good to consider all wagering options when it comes to college basketball and micro betting can be an exciting way to get involved in the action. When everything goes in-game, consider whether the next shot will be a Two or a Three-pointer.

Latest regular season and playoff games stats.

Penn State Stats

Northwestern Stats

Moneyline

• 1 win and 9 defeats in the last 10 games
• 3 wins and 7 defeats in the last 10 games on the road

Moneyline

• 3 wins and 7 defeats in the last 10 games
• 4 wins and 6 defeats in the last 10 home games

Point Spread

• +8.5 Betting Line: Have covered the spread in 6 of the last 10 games
• +8.5 Betting Line on the Road: Have covered the spread in 6 of the last 10 games on the road

Point Spread

• -8.5 Betting Line: Have covered the spread in 2 of the last 10 games
• -8.5 Betting Line at Home: Have covered the spread in 3 of the last 10 home games

Total Points

• Game Totals: An average of 152.40 pts in the previous 10 games
• Game Totals on the Road: An average of 156.60 pts in the previous 10 games on the road
• Over 149.5: Covered in 5 of the previous 10 games
• Over 149.5 on the Road: Covered in 7 of the previous 10 games on the road
• Team Totals: Have scored an average of 71.20 pts and allowed 81.20 pts in the last 10 games
• Team Totals on the Road: Have scored an average of 74.90 pts and allowed 81.70 pts in the last 10 games on the road

Total Points

• Game Totals: An average of 143.00 pts in the previous 10 games
• Game Totals at Home: An average of 153.80 pts in the previous 10 home games
• Over 149.5: Covered in 3 of the previous 10 games
• Over 149.5 at Home: Covered in 6 of the previous 10 home games
• Team Totals: Have scored an average of 70.70 pts and allowed 72.30 pts in the last 10 games
• Team Totals at Home: Have scored an average of 78.30 pts and allowed 75.50 pts in the last 10 home games

NCAAB Table Select Season 2025/20262024/20252023/20242022/20232021/20222020/20212019/2020

Big Ten	Overall	PF	PA	N. Pts	Home	Away	Strk
Nebraska	20-1	1690	1374	316	15-0	5-1	1L
Michigan	19-1	1817	1376	441	13-1	6-0	5W
Michigan State	19-2	1670	1334	336	13-1	6-1	7W
Illinois	17-3	1709	1366	343	11-3	6-0	9W
Purdue	17-4	1747	1454	293	13-2	4-2	3L
Iowa	15-5	1553	1257	296	13-1	2-4	3W
UCLA	15-6	1620	1439	181	12-1	3-5	3W
Wisconsin	15-6	1739	1569	170	11-2	4-4	1W
USC	15-6	1714	1582	132	9-3	6-3	1L
Ohio State	14-6	1644	1451	193	10-3	4-3	1W
Indiana	14-7	1695	1455	240	12-3	2-4	2W
Washington	11-9	1580	1465	115	8-3	3-6	1W
Minnesota	10-11	1504	1437	67	9-6	1-5	6L
Northwestern	9-11	1530	1434	96	7-6	2-5	1L
Penn State	9-11	1532	1555	-23	8-7	1-4	7L
Rutgers	9-12	1473	1578	-105	9-5	0-7	4L
Maryland	8-12	1459	1580	-121	7-4	1-8	2L
Oregon	8-13	1519	1556	-37	7-7	1-6	7L

• Overall = Overall Wins-Losses
• PF = Total Points For
• PA = Total Points Against
• N. Pts = Point Differential
• Home = Home Record
• Away = Away Record
• Strk = Current Streak

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