3 bold predictions for Nebraska basketball vs. Penn State

Nebraska basketball will be back on the road on Wednesday night for a game that tips off at 5:30 PM CST. The early start time is a little strange but the Huskers just need to focus on bringing their “A” game.

They didn’t against Northwestern and it nearly cost them. Fred Hoiberg had to injure his hand for the Nebraska basketball team to show a little fight.

Hopefully this time around against Penn State, they will have that same energy from the jump. Nebraska is 7-8 in the Big Ten and 17-9 overall. According to Bracket Matrix, the Huskers are projected to make the NCAA tournament in 104 out of 104 brackets being tracked.

Penn State on the other hand is in the cellar of the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions have lost 12 of 13 games. They are still within striking distance of reaching the 15th spot, which is required to make the Big Ten tournament.

Suffice it to say this is a critical game for both teams and here are three bold predictions for Nebraska basketball against Penn State.

Gary and Brice each get 20

Defensively, there isn’t much to write home about in terms of Penn State. Outside of turnovers forced, steals per game, and free throws allowed/made/percentage, the Nittany Lions ranked outside the top 10 in the Big Ten conference in every defensive category.

I guess I forgot they rank 9th in 3-point attempts allowed but have the fifth-worst 3-point percentage defense in the conference. Their 2-point defense also isn’t good. They are aggressive and forcing turnovers is probably the one recipe for success, but Nebraska should have a field day offensively.

Juwan Gary and Brice Williams will each score 20 points, which would be the seventh game in a row for Williams, who is making a case for Big Ten Player of the Year.

Nebraska starts fast

We have seen Nebraska start slow on the road and come back as they did against Washington and Northwestern.

The Huskers have also come out firing as they did against Oregon and that’s what I expect on Wednesday. Ace Baldwin, the Penn State point guard is as good a guard as there is in the Big Ten. He’s capable of keeping this interesting, but I don’t see another flat first half.

This team has played with a sense of urgency during this 5-1 stretch and they need to have the mindset that this is a must-win game.

Keep turnovers under 20 percent and win

Penn State has to force turnovers tonight. The Nittany Lions just aren’t good enough otherwise to beat Nebraska basketball. Their last win came against Rutgers which turned the ball over on 21 percent of its possessions.

USC did the same thing but still crushed Penn State recently, which shows even the turnovers aren’t a guarantee of success. They are a requirement for being competitive. It doesn’t feel like Penn State will win this game unless they force steals and score in transition.

3-point shooting is another equalizer but if Nebraska basketball turns it over on fewer than 20 percent of its possessions, it will leave Happy Valley with a win.

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