Big Red vs. Nittany Lions Prediction
The 20th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions have won all eight of their home games this season heading into this afternoon’s home tilt with the Cornell Big Red. Can PSU win by enough to cover the big spread?
Game Snapshot
677 Cornell Big Wave at 678 Penn State Nittany Lions
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Bryce Jordan Center at 12PM ET
TV: ESPNU
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According to oddsmakers, the Nittany Lions are a 22.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 138.5 points. As of Sunday morning, 62 percent of public bets are being placed on host Penn State. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest info.
Big Red drop ninth straight
Cornell lost by a score of 80-76 eight days ago at Hartford to drop to 1-9 on the season and 0-7 on the road. The Big Red were outscored 48-36 in the second half of the defeat. Jimmy Boeheim led Cornell with 26 points on 10-of-22 shooting including 4-of-10 from 3-point range plus 2-of-3 at the free throw line. He also registered three rebounds and three assists. Terrance McBride contributed 14 points, six boards, four assists and two steals. Jordan Jones added 10 points and seven caroms.
Nittany Lions ease past Blue Devils
Penn State rolled to an 87-58 home win nine days ago over Central Connecticut State to improve to 10-2 overall and 8-0 at home. The Nittany Lions raced to a 51-31 halftime advantage en route to the triumph. Myreon Jones paced PSU with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting including 4-of-8 from 3-point distance plus 1-of-1 at the charity stripe. He also tallied five assists, two rebounds and two steals. Izaiah Brockington contributed 11 points and three boards off the bench. Lamar Stevens added 10 points, four caroms and four assists.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Cornell
The Big Red are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 road games. Cornell is 1-4 ATS in its last five games overall.
Penn State
The Nittany Lions are 15-6-2 ATS in their last 23 games overall. Penn State is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 home games.
Prediction:
The Nittany Lions have lost by by 21 to DePaul and 19 against Syracuse, both on the road. While Penn State is better than either of those teams, this is merely a tune-up for next weekend with Iowa on deck. I’m going to bank on PSU looking ahead a bit and Cornell showing the desperation necessary as it valiantly tries to snap its skid. While that won’t happen, I do think the Big Red can keep it close enough to be on the right side of the bet.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: CORNELL BIG RED +22.5