Who's Playing

Penn State @ Wisconsin

Current Records: Penn State 12-5; Wisconsin 11-5

What to Know

The Wisconsin Badgers and the Penn State Nittany Lions are set to square off in a Big Ten matchup at 8:30 p.m. ET Jan. 17 at Kohl Center. If the game is anything like their last meeting in last February, where the Badgers won 51-49, we could be in for a big score.

The contest between Wisconsin and the Indiana Hoosiers this past Saturday was not a total blowout, but with Wisconsin falling 63-45 on the road, it was darn close to turning into one. One thing holding Wisconsin back was the mediocre play of guard Chucky Hepburn, who did not have his best game: he played for 29 minutes but put up just eight points.

Meanwhile, Penn State had enough points to win and then some against IU last week, taking their matchup 85-66. The Nittany Lions can attribute much of their success to guard Seth Lundy, who shot 7-for-12 from downtown and finished with 25 points and six boards, and guard Andrew Funk, who shot 7-for-12 from beyond the arc and finished with 23 points. Funk hadn't helped his team much against the Purdue Boilermakers last week, so this was a nice turnaround for him. Funk's points were the most he has had all year.

The Badgers are the favorite in this one, with an expected 3.5-point margin of victory. Those sticking with them against the spread have guts, to put it politely, as the team has let down bettors in their past six games.

Wisconsin is now 11-5 while the Nittany Lions sit at 12-5. Two stats to keep an eye on: Wisconsin enters the game with only 9.3 turnovers per game on average, good for second best in college basketball. Less enviably, Penn State is stumbling into the matchup with the 353rd fewest takeaways in college basketball, having accrued only 10.2 on average. So the cards are definitely stacked against Penn State.

How To Watch

  • When: Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET
  • Where: Kohl Center -- Madison, Wisconsin
  • TV: Big Ten Network
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Ticket Cost: $3.00

Odds

The Badgers are a 3.5-point favorite against the Nittany Lions, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The line has drifted a bit towards the Badgers, as the game opened with the Badgers as a 2-point favorite.

Over/Under: -110

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Series History

Wisconsin have won nine out of their last ten games against Penn State.

  • Feb 05, 2022 - Wisconsin 51 vs. Penn State 49
  • Mar 11, 2021 - Wisconsin 75 vs. Penn State 74
  • Feb 02, 2021 - Wisconsin 72 vs. Penn State 56
  • Jan 30, 2021 - Penn State 81 vs. Wisconsin 71
  • Jan 11, 2020 - Wisconsin 58 vs. Penn State 49
  • Mar 02, 2019 - Wisconsin 61 vs. Penn State 57
  • Jan 06, 2019 - Wisconsin 71 vs. Penn State 52
  • Dec 04, 2017 - Wisconsin 64 vs. Penn State 63
  • Jan 24, 2017 - Wisconsin 82 vs. Penn State 55
  • Jan 21, 2016 - Wisconsin 66 vs. Penn State 60