Indiana Opens as Big Favorite in Wednesday's Game Against Penn State
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana has been very good at home all season, but the Hoosiers took their first home loss on Sunday and are looking to bounce back on Wednesday night against Penn State.
The oddsmakers think that will happen. Indiana has opened as an 8.5-point favorite according to the SISportsbook.com gambling website. The over/under is 128.
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The Hoosiers have an 14-5 overall record on the season and are 5-4 in the Big Ten. They are 11-8 against the point spread. The Hoosiers are 12-1 at home and 10-3 vs. the spread as Assembly Hall. On the road, they are 1-4 straight up and 0-5 against the spread.
The two teams played each other on Jan. 2 in Happy Valley, with Penn State winning 61-58 as a small underdog. Penn State made 11-of-22 three-pointers that night, confusing Indiana's defense with perimeter screens in the second half to get good looks. In their other seven Big Ten games, they are averaging 6.7 threes per game.
Indiana forward Race Thompson said it's a team effort when it comes to communicating better through screens. They failed that night, and he vows they'll be better this time around.
“It goes with the guards and the bigs,” Thompson said. “As bigs, we’ve got to do a better job of impacting the ball when it’s coming off, and as guards we’ve got to get into the ball and just refuse to get screened.”
Indiana needs to bounce back after Sunday's, and this is a good time to start.
“We’re trying to break the door down,” Thompson said of contending in the Big Ten. “We’re putting dents in it, but we need to find a way to really break through that door and string a couple (of wins) together.”
Indiana is 4-1 in Big Ten home games, and have covered in all four wins as well.
Here are Indiana's results thus far this season, both straight up and against the spread:
- Nov. 9 — Beat Eastern Michigan 68-62 as a 24-point favorite (lost)
- Nov. 12 — Beat Northern Illinois 85-49 as a 25.5-point favorite (won)
- Nov. 17 — Beat St. John's 76-74 as a 6-point favorite (lost)
- Nov. 21 — Beat Louisiana 76-44 as an 11.5-point favorite (won)
- Nov. 23 — Beat Jackson State 70-35 as a 22.5-point favorite (won)
- Nov. 27 — Beat Marshall 90-79 as a 10.5-point favorite (won)
- Nov. 30 — Lost at Syracuse 112-110 as a 2.5-point favorite (lost)
- Dec. 4 — Beat Nebraska 68-55 as an 11-point favorite (won)
- Dec. 8 — Lost at No. 22 Wisconsin 64-59 as a 4.5-point underdog (lost)
- Dec. 12 — Beat Merrimack 81-49 as a 20-point favorite (won)
- Dec. 18 — Beat Notre Dame 64-56 in Indianapolis as a 4.5-point favorite (won)
- Dec. 22 — Beat Northern Kentucky 79-61 as a 17-point favorite (won)
- Jan. 2 — Lost at Penn State 61-58 as a 2.5-point favorite (lost)
- Jan. 6 — Beat No. 13 Ohio State 67-51 as a 2-point favorite (won)
- Jan. 9 — Beat Minnesota 73-60 as an 11-point favorite (won)
- Jan. 13 — Lost at Iowa 83-74 as a 4.5 -point underdog (lost)
- Jan. 17 — Won at Nebraska 78-71 as a 9-point favorite (lost)
- Jan. 20 — Beat Purdue 68-65 as a 4-point underdog (won)
- Jan. 23 — Lost to Michigan 80-62 as a 4-point favorite (lost)
Penn State is 8-8 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten in a season that has been interrupted often with COVID-related cancellations and postponements.
The Nittany Lions are 8-8 against the spread all season, but started a streak of five covers in a row with the win over Indiana on Jan. 2. In Big Ten road games thus far, they are 1-3 straight up and 2-2 vs. the spread.
Here's what Penn State has done so far this season:
- Nov. 10 — Beat Youngstown State 75-59 as a 17.5-point favorite (lost)
- Nov. 15 — Lost at Massachusetts 81-56 as a 4-point favorite (lost)
- Nov. 18 — Beat St. Francis-Brooklyn 74-59 as a 19-point favorite (lost)
- Nov. 22 — Beat Cornell 85-74 as a 16-point favorite (lost)
- Nov. 26 — Lost to LSU 63-58 in OT in the Emerald Coast Classic in Destin, Fla., as an 8-point underdog (won)
- Nov. 27 — Beat Oregon State 60-45 in Destin, Fla., as a 1-point favorite (won)
- Dec. 1 — Lost to Miami 63-58 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge as a 3-point favorite (lost)
- Dec. 5 — Lost to Ohio State 76-64 as a 5-point underdog (lost)
- Dec. 8 — Beat Wagner 74-54 as a 7-point favorite (won)
- Dec. 11 — Lost at Michigan State 80-64 as a 10-point underdog (lost)
- Dec. 18 —VCU — Cancelled
- Dec. 22 —Quinnipiac — Cancelled
- Dec. 29 —Delaware State — Cancelled
- Jan. 2 — Beat Indiana 61-58 as a 2.5-point underdog (won)
- Jan. 5 — Won at Northwestern 74-70 as a 7.5-point underdog (won)
- Jan,. 8 — Lost to Purdue 74-67 as a 9.5-point underdog (won)
- Jan. 11 — Beat Rutgers 66-49 as a 2-point favorite (won)
- Jan. 16 —Lost at Ohio State 61-56 as as 10.5-point underdog (won)
- Jan, 19 — Minnesota — Postponed
- Jan. 22 — Lost at Iowa 68-51 as a 10-point underdog (lost)
