Editor’s Note: For a little more than three years now, Joe has been publishing picks here and back at All Things NIT, our former site. Overall, the results have been positive, with an average return on investment, per pick, of 0.00% when weighting by confidence (1 for low, 2 for medium, 3 for high) across 2,027 published picks, not including bets that remain pending, like futures. So…dead even.
Use these picks at your own risk. Only you are responsible for any money you lose, and you should not bet more than you can afford to lose. If you have a gambling problem, get help.
Lines for these come from the Vegas consensus or the closest approximation available at the time picks are written, unless otherwise noted. KenPom is heavily used in making college basketball picks.
Northwestern @ Penn State
Northwestern is, actually, probably the better team here, with a lack of scheduling ambition currently keeping them away from NIT consideration. Still, in State College, against a team that doesn’t force turnovers (making Northwestern’s exceptional ability to protect possessions a little less useful), it’s not a great matchup for the Wildcats, who should be tested often from deep. If Penn State can shoot even adequately, they should get the win. That’s not the easiest thing, but it’s likely.
Pick: Penn State -1.5 (-110). Low confidence.
