Wisconsin vs. Penn State: Big Ten Battle | January 22, 2026
Written by: Colby Marchio
Last Update: Thu Jan 22, 2026, 12:42 pm ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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Last 7 Days: 8-5 (+2.46 Units)
Last 30 Days: 25-27 (-5.98 Units)
Full fade!!!
Wisconsin vs. Penn State Odds
Can the Nittany Lions hold down their home court against the Badgers this evening?
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Spread
Wisconsin: -5.5 (-113)
Penn State: +5.5 (-107)
Total
Over: 160.0 (-109)
Under: 160.0 (-111)
Moneyline
Wisconsin: -250
Penn State: +200
Wisconsin vs. Penn State Bet
A lot of people are complaining about tonight's slate because it is filled with mid-majors, and that is pathetic. There is one Big Ten game this evening, along with a ton of other enthralling matchups. This Big Ten clash is going down in University Park, where the Nittany Lions will host the Wisconsin Badgers. The home dog has been struggling and riding a massive losing streak, while the Badgers have been living on cloud nine. I see a world where the Nittany Lions keep this one close and give the red hot Badgers a run for their money.
Another Thursday and another incredibly light college basketball slate.
There is ONE power conference game scheduled for tonight: Wisconsin at Penn State.
The sport NEEDS to better at spreading things out.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 22, 2026
Strength in Schedule
This matchup only marks the fourth true road game for the Wisconsin Badgers. Sure, one of those previous three games happens to be one of the biggest upsets of the season, beating Michigan 91 to 88 on their home court. However, the lack of true road tests will eventually nip them on the rear. This evening, the Badgers take on the 14th best team in away-home court metrics, per Haslametrics. Meanwhile, they rank 35th worst in that category.
Haslametrics states, "We would expect a potential performance bump for the home team here. Penn State has performed far better at home than they have away from home this season. To boot, they are facing Wisconsin, a team that has played their very worst basketball this year away from their home court." That is still with them being 2-1 in true road environments. However, in their seven games away from home, they are bottom 100 in eFG% defense, turnover defense, offensive rebounding, three point defense, and offensive block percentage.
Following this short road trip to Penn State, they return home to take on USC on Sunday. The Trojans are 80 spots ahead of the Nittany Lions. Will tonight be a look ahead for the Badgers? Penn State has to go to Columbus on Monday to take on Ohio State. However, after losing eight of their last nine games, there is no room to look ahead if you are the Nittany Lions.
Gritty Kitties
This should be a great spot to snag the Lions with the points. Through 11 games at home this season, they have been solid in some key areas and pretty bad in others. However, they are top 75 in both offensive and defensive turnover percentage, free throw rate defense, and two point defense. Against top 100 teams, their major defensive flaws improve. In eight games against top 100 teams, their eFG% defense jumps from 344th to 261st.
The Nittany Lions are going to have to force this game to be as slow as your parents on Christmas morning, because they will not be able to keep up with the Badgers if this turns into a track meet. If Penn State can force this game to be played at a moderate pace, they should be able to keep this within the 5.5 points.
Best Bet: Penn State +5.5 (-107) on Lucky Rebel
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Former D1 (club) baseball player, Colby has been betting since his college days at DePaul, where he had to endure the worst collegiate basketball the Big East has ever seen. He is an advanced analytics nerd and has never seen an underdog he has not liked. Hot. Corn. Bull. It does not matter the dog he loves them all.
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