Northern Kentucky Norse vs Youngstown State Penguins Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Northern Kentucky vs Youngstown State NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Youngstown.

Northern Kentucky vs Youngstown State Prediction

Betting on today's Norse and Penguins game? Catch the action at Beeghly Center in Youngstown, OH, as the Penguins hosts this showdown at 6:30 ET on ESPN+. The odds for this Horizon League conference game currently have Youngstown State as the -2.5 point favorite with the over/under line sitting at 133.5 points.

Northern Kentucky vs. Youngstown State Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Northern Kentucky Norse at Youngstown State Penguins
Where: Youngstown at Beeghly Center
Date: Wednesday, January 8th
Betting Odds YNGST -2.5, NKENT +126 | YNGST -154 O/U 133.5

Norse Preview: Can the Norse Grab a Win in Youngstown?

Northern Kentucky evened their season record at 7-7 with a 78-60 home win over Green Bay on Saturday. The Norse, who were -12.5 favorites, covered the spread, and the game’s total points of 138 narrowly exceeded the 137.5-point O/U line.

Leading 33-31 at halftime, Northern Kentucky’s defense stepped up in the 2nd half, holding Green Bay to 29 points while scoring 45 of their own to secure the win.

Norse Offense Breakdown

Northern Kentucky's offense was fueled by their three-point shooting, hitting 50% from beyond the arc (13/26) in their recent game. Their overall field goal percentage was 45.3% (24/53), with an effective field goal percentage of 56.6%.

Josh Dilling led the way with 24 points, shooting 77.8% from the field and 75% from three-point range (6/8). Marcus Hall also had a strong performance, hitting 5 of 6 threes and finishing with 19 points.

Norse Team Defense

Despite Northern Kentucky giving up 60 points, they allowed their opponents to shoot 45% from the field. The Norse held them to 40% shooting on two-point attempts, with 11 makes on 27 tries.

From beyond the arc, Northern Kentucky's defense allowed 13 threes on 26 attempts, a 50% shooting rate. They also sent their opponents to the free-throw line 26 times, where they converted 17 for 65%. The Norse gave up 12 offensive rebounds.

Penguins Preview: Do the Penguins Stand a Chance at Home?

Youngstown State Penguins Recent Game/Games

Youngstown State fell to 9-6 on the season after a 90-81 road loss to Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday. The Penguins entered the game as +6 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread.

They trailed 41-29 at halftime but put up 52 points in the 2nd half, while allowing 49. The total points for the game reached 171, surpassing the O/U line of 147.5.

Penguins Offense Breakdown

Youngstown State put up 81 points in their last game, shooting 47.7% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 55.4%. They were dominant inside, hitting 64.7% of their two-point attempts, but struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 29% of their threes (9/31).

Jalen Jackson led the way with 25 points and 7 assists, shooting 64.3% overall and 50% from three. Cris Carroll added 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Rasheed Bello contributed 17 points, shooting 53.8% from the field and 66.7% from three-point range.

Penguins Team Defense

Even though Youngstown State gave up 90 points, they did a good job on the boards, allowing just 2 offensive rebounds. The Penguins' defense struggled overall, though, with their opponent shooting 52% from the field.

Inside the arc, Youngstown State allowed 57% shooting on two-point attempts, with their opponent hitting 23 of 40 shots. From three-point range, the Penguins gave up 11 threes on 25 attempts, a 44% shooting percentage.

Norse vs Penguins Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

When looking at their past three road matchups, Northern Kentucky has an ATS record of 0-3 while averaging 77 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
In their last ten games at home, the Penguins have a straight up record of 6-4 while going 7-3 vs the spread. The team's offense averaged 73 points per game in these contests.
The last three games that Northern Kentucky was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 0-3 while going 0-3 straight up.
The Penguins have played well in their last three games as the betting favorite, going 3-0 straight up and 2-1 against the spread.