Maine Black Bears vs Penn Quakers NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 11/30/24

Betting on today’s Black Bears and Quakers game? Catch the action at The Palestra in Philadelphia, PA, as the Quakers hosts this showdown at 4:30 ET on ESPN+. Maine is favored by -1 in this non-conference contest against Penn. The game’s over/under currently sits at 136.5 points.

MAINE BLACK BEARS VS PENN QUAKERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Penn Quakers +1

This game will be played at The Palestra at 4:30 ET on Saturday, November 30th.

WHY BET THE PENN QUAKERS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-71 in favor of the Quakers.
• Not only will Penn pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +1.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 136.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 146 points.

Is It the Black Bears Game to Lose on the Road?

Maine Black Bears Recent Game/Games

The Black Bears picked up a 69-56 win over Elon on Friday, November 29th. Maine, who were +4 point underdogs, not only won but also covered the spread.

Leading 29-23 at halftime, Maine scored 40 points in the 2nd half while allowing 33. The game’s total points of 125 fell under the O/U line of 136.5.

Maine’s offense put up 69 points in their last game, shooting 44.1% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 50.8%. They hit 31.8% from beyond the arc, connecting on 7 of 22 attempts, while making 51.4% of their two-point shots. At the free-throw line, they were nearly perfect, hitting 10 of 11 for 90.9%.

TK Simpkins led the way with 21 points, shooting 58.3% from the field and 57.1% from three (4/7). Quion Burns added 16 points, hitting 66.7% of his shots, and Kellen Tynes contributed 14 points along with 13 assists, despite shooting just 30.8%. Killian Gribben was perfect from the field, going 6 for 6 and finishing with 13 points and 8 rebounds.

Even with Maine’s defense allowing 56 points, they couldn’t capitalize on their offensive opportunities. The Black Bears shot 44% from the field, converting 26 of their 59 attempts.

From beyond the arc, Maine hit 7 of 22 three-pointers, shooting 31%. They were efficient from the free-throw line, making 10 of 11 attempts, and gave up 7 offensive rebounds.

Can the Penn Offense Score Enough at Home?

Penn’s recent 86-78 loss to Navy on Friday was a tough one, especially since they were -4.5 favorites at home. The Quakers didn’t cover the spread, and the game went over the 141.5-point total, with a combined 164 points.

Penn struggled in the first half, trailing 37-28, but they put up 50 points in the second half. Unfortunately, they allowed 49 points in the second half, which made it hard to complete the comeback.

Ethan Roberts led the way for Penn with 33 points on 11-of-18 shooting, though he hit just 2-of-8 from deep. As a team, the Quakers connected on only 24.1% of their threes, going 7-for-29.

Inside the arc, Penn was dominant, hitting 67.7% of their two-point attempts. They finished with a 46.7% overall shooting percentage and an effective field goal percentage of 53.3%.

Despite Penn giving up 86 points, they struggled to contain their opponent’s two-point shooting, allowing them to hit 67% of their shots inside the arc (21/31). However, Penn did manage to limit damage from beyond the arc, as their opponent shot just 24% from three-point range, making 7 of 29 attempts.

On the free-throw line, Penn’s defense sent their opponent to the stripe 24 times, where they converted 15 free throws, shooting 62%. The Quakers also gave up 13 offensive rebounds in this game.