Milwaukee Panthers vs Youngstown State Penguins Betting Pick & Prediction 2/8/24

Looking to win big? The Panthers and Penguins face off at 6:30 ET on ESPN+. The Penguins are hosting the game at Beeghly Center in Youngstown, OH. This Horizon League conference matchup has an over/under of 157 points, and Youngstown State is favored to win by -8.5 at home vs. Milwaukee.

MILWAUKEE PANTHERS VS YOUNGSTOWN STATE PENGUINS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Milwaukee Panthers +8.5

This game will be played at Beeghly Center at 6:30 ET on Thursday, February 8th.

WHY BET THE MILWAUKEE PANTHERS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-70 in favor of the Penguins.
  • Even though we have Youngstown State winning straight-up, we like Milwaukee at +8.5.
  • The over/under is currently sitting at 157 points, and we like the under with a projected 145 points.

Is an Upset Waiting to Happen on the Road?

The Milwaukee Panthers enter today’s game as 8.5-point underdogs, and they have gone 4-7 this season when they are the underdog. They have an overall record of 12-11, and they have won two straight games.

On the road this season, the Panthers have gone 3-8, and their average scoring margin is -7.3 points per game. In their last 10 road games, they have gone 3-7, and they are coming off a win against IUPUI.

As the underdog this season, Milwaukee has gone 6-5 vs. the spread. On the road, they are 5-6 ATS and have gone 4-6 in their last 10. Overall, the Panthers are 10-11 vs. the spread this year.

This season, the over/under record for Milwaukee games is 12-7-2. So far, the average over/under line in their games is 154 and the average scoring total is 158.3 points. Today’s over/under line of 157 is similar to the average OU line in their games this year. Over their last three games, their over/under record is 1-1-1 and the average scoring total is 154 points.

Milwaukee finished with 87 points in their game against IUPUI. This total surpasses their season-average of 79 points per game. BJ Freeman is currently the leading scorer for the team, entering today’s matchup with an average of 18.1. Meanwhile, Erik Pratt also brings a PPG average of 12.8 into the game.

At present, the Panthers’ defense is nationally ranked 303rd, allowing 78.8 points per game. The Milwaukee defense is coming off a game in which they gave up a total of 67 points and allowed IUPUI to connect on 8 threes.

Taking a Look at the Penguins Chances at Home

Youngstown State has been dominant at home this season, going 7-0 with an average scoring margin of +14.3 points per game. They will look to extend their winning streak at home to eight games when they take on Milwaukee as 8.5-point favorites.

Overall, the Penguins have gone 17-7, including a 9-3 record in Horizon League play. They have been favored in 12 of their 24 games this season, going 11-1 in those contests.

Youngstown State has been solid against the spread this season, posting a 12-7 mark. Their ATS record at home is 5-2 and they are 8-4 vs the spread when favored this year. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Penguins are 6-4 ATS.

Youngstown State’s over/under record for the season is 8-10-1 and today’s line of 157 is higher than the average over/under line in their games (150.3). So far, 17 of their games have finished with fewer points than today’s line. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 152 points and their over/under record during this stretch is 2-1.

Coming off their recent game, the Youngstown State offense tallied 78 points in a matchup against Purdue Fort Wayne. Their field goal percentage for the game was 37.7%, and they made 8 threes. The team’s top scorer is Ziggy Reid, who comes into today’s matchup with an average of 14.1, while Brandon Rush also maintains a PPG average of 12.5 leading up to the game.

Coming into today’s game, the Youngstown State defense is giving up an average of 69.4 points per contest. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Youngstown State’s defense has allowed opponents to shoot 39.7% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 31.5% this season.