Indiana vs Penn State Odds, Pick for Saturday

Two of the bottom-tier teams in the Big Ten will take the court on Saturday in Happy Valley as the Indiana Hoosiers take on the Penn State Nittany Lions. Both teams are missing key pieces, but anything can happen in college basketball and neither team have given up on the season yet.

The Indiana Hoosiers are slumping and have lost seven of their past nine games. They are currently mired in a three-game losing streak, with losses to Purdue, Northwestern and Nebraska. The season has fallen off the rails without point guard Xavier Johnson, and Indiana is low on both quality back-court options and depth.

Meanwhile, things were trending in the same direction for Penn State prior to this week's win over Illinois. The Nittany Lions had lost three straight games and looked headed for another, before storming back late to complete a crazy comeback and earn a one-point victory. Penn State has been struggling since the dismissal of Kanye Clary, who was one of the best guards in the Big Ten a few months ago, but is no longer with the team.

Indiana has been bad on both sides of the ball. The Hoosiers rank outside the top 100 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Their roster has a massive lack of shooters and they make just 32% of their shots from deep.

Just 28% of their shots come from 3, and that number has gotten worse since Johnson's departure. Freshman Gabe Cupps has entered the starting lineup, but is completely in over his head and has zero points in two of his past three games.

Despite all their problems, the Hoosiers still have an advantage in the front-court on most nights. Malik Reneau and Kel'el Ware are a potent duo, but need to be the best two players on the floor for Indiana to have a chance to win a game in league play.

The Nittany Lions are horrible at guarding the rim. On the season, opponents are shooting 52% from 2-point range, giving Penn State's 2-point defense a rank of 290th nationally.

The Nittany Lions excel at forcing turnovers, which they should be able to do against Indiana's offense. Penn State ranks 21st in college basketball in forced turnover percentage.

Penn State likes to play fast, which could cause some problems for Indiana's lack of depth. A high-possession game certainly favors the home team here.

KenPom favors Penn State by five, which means there's an edge to betting the Nittany Lions — and I tend to agree. If Penn State can force turnovers, get out and run and make life hard on Cupps, it should be able to create separation and win big.

Pick: Penn State -2.5

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