Blue Devils vs. Nittany Lions Prediction
The 23rd-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions will be at home today as they host the winless Central Connecticut Blue Devils. Can Penn State cover the huge spread in the non-conference contest?
Game Snapshot
308499 Central Connecticut Blue Devils at 308500 Penn State Nittany Lions
Friday, December 20, 2019
Bryce Jordan Center at 6PM ET
TV: BTN
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According to oddsmakers, the Nittany Lions are a 35.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total sits at 142.5 points. As of Friday morning, 53 percent of public bets are siding with visiting Central Connecticut. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest information.
Blue Devils remain winless
Central Connecticut suffered a 76-60 loss Wednesday at Dartmouth to drop to 0-11 overall and 0-6 on the road. The Blue Devils trailed 31-23 at halftime and could not bounce back after the break. Jamir Reed paced Central Connecticut with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting including 3-of-7 at the free throw line. He also tallied five rebounds and two assists. Trey Tennyson added 12 points and three boards off the bench.
Nittany Lions edge Crimson Tide
Penn State earned a 73-71 home victory Saturday over Alabama to improve to 9-2 overall and 7-0 at home. The Nittany Lions outscored the Crimson Tide 39-31 in the second half to overcome a six-point halftime deficit. Lamar Stevens led Penn State with 18 points on 6-of-16 shooting including 6-of-9 from the charity stripe. He also racked up 11 rebounds, six assists, five blocked shots and two steals. Curtis Jones accounted for 18 points and six boards off the bench. Myreon Jones added 17 points, five caroms, two assists and two steals.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Central Connecticut
The Blue Devils are 9-24-1 ATS in their last 34 games overall. Central Connecticut is 4-0 ATS in its last four games following a straight up loss.
Penn State
The Nittany Lions are 15-5-2 ATS in their last 22 games overall. Penn State is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 home games.
Prediction:
The Blue Devils probably aren’t the worst team in the nation, but there are only a few worse teams. The issue here is how huge the spread is and whether you think the Nittany Lions are going to run up the score enough to cover it. Central Connecticut has played three top 100 teams and lost by 30, 31 and 32 points. Penn State is better than any of those three teams and did beat an equally bad Maryland Eastern Shore squad 84-46 in its season opener. But with the holidays approaching, I’m going to take a shot on the Nittany Lions easing off the gas pedal and Central Connecticut slipping by to stay within the gigantic number.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: CENTRAL CONNECTICUT BLUE DEVILS +35.5