Michigan Looks To Continue Dominance over Penn State

The prevailing theme this season in the Big Ten is that if you’re on the road, your chances of winning drop dramatically. Add in that Penn State hasn’t won at Michigan in its last seven tries and the Wolverines look like a great bet at -5.5. 

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Wolverines have been struggling lately, but it’s only on the road — they’re 8-1 at home this season. Add in that they’ve simply dominated the head-to-head rivalry with Penn State lately and it’s easy to see why the Wolverines opened as 5.5-point home favorites. With both clubs sitting in the top five of the Big Ten in scoring (and both in the top 50 in the nation), the total also opened very high at 147.5 points.

Penn State News & Notes

Penn State was limping into its matchup on Saturday against No. 21 Ohio State but ended a three-game losing streak with a big night from leading scorer Lamar Stevens in a 90-76 home victory.

The senior forward had a game-high 24 points as the Nittany Lions topped the 90-point mark for the fourth time this season. With an offense that’s fourth in the Big Ten and 47th in the nation, Penn State has seen the total go OVER in five of its last seven games. 

While the win snapped a losing skid, the Nittany Lions are still suffering from the January blues, going just 2-12 SU in their last 14 games in the first month of the calendar year. Stevens and the offense will need to be on point Wednesday against Michigan, as Penn State is 1-8 SU in its last nine games against Michigan and has covered the spread in just six of their last 18 matchups. 

Michigan News & Notes

With their 90-83 loss to Iowa on Friday night, the Wolverines have lost three of their last four games, dropped to 2-4 within the Big Ten — and fell completely out of the national rankings.

Michigan was also playing without forward Isaiah Livers, who is second on the team with 13.6 points per game, for the fifth straight game due to a hamstring injury. The loss also keeps Michigan winless on the road, where it is 0-5 SU and ATS this season, compared to 11-1 SU and 9-3 ATS in games at home or at a neutral site. 

Livers is listed as questionable against the Nittany Lions, but luckily the Wolverines get a boost from playing at the Crisler Center against a Penn State team which they have beaten seven straight times at home.

Betting Pick: Michigan -5.5

If you’re a Big Ten team this season, it’s almost a prerequisite that you struggle on the road. These teams play a similar style, but Michigan gets the nod for playing on its home court.