12/21 Big Ten Basketball Preview: Oregon vs. Gonzaga

There are six Big Ten games set for the day, mainly involving schools at home hosting mid-majors. The two exceptions, however, include Penn State taking on Pitt in Hershey Pennsylvania and Oregon facing Gonzaga in the Northwest Elite Showdown in Portland.

Pittsburgh vs Penn State Nittany Lions

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The first game of the day involves an in-state battle between two sub-100 teams. Penn State enters on a two game skid after getting blown out at Indiana and falling at home to Michigan State by four. Pitt hasn’t fared much better, going 2-5 over their past seven games. Naturally, in between losses to programs such as Quinnipiac and Hofstra the Panthers managed to knock off Ohio State. Penn State is committing less than nine turnovers per game and shooting 49.5% from the field. Their defense has been a weak spot, though Pitt’s offense hasn’t been particularly great. If the Nittany Lions can find their rhythm offensively they should be able to outscore Pitt on a neutral court this afternoon.

Pick: Penn State

La Salle at #2 Michigan Wolverines

Time/TV: 4:00 PM ET Peacock

Michigan enters today as a 39.5 point favorite at home against a La Salle team ranked 262nd in the KenPom rankings. The Wolverines have won seven in a row by double digits and have hit 100 in four of their last five games and will now face a team that hasn’t scored more than 75 points since their season opener against Coppin State. Averaging 67.7 points and 13.6 turnovers per game while shooting just 43.3% from the field, it will likely be considered a win if the Explorers can even hit 60 tonight in Ann Arbor. Expect the Wolverines to continue rolling.

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Pick: Michigan

UC Santa Cruz at USC Trojans

The Trojans will host Div. III UC Santa Cruz today in a game that replaces the Trojans scheduled game against Brown. It’s also the only game the Trojans will play over a two week span, with their next game not coming until the second day of January at Michigan. It’s probably a good time for a…

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Publish date : 2025-12-21 10:00:00

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