Penn State vs Texas A&M Odds
| Penn State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -110 | 136.5 -110o / -110u | +280 |
| Texas A&M Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -110 | 136.5 -110o / -110u | -350 |
Here's everything you need to know about Penn State vs. Texas A&M on Thursday, Nov. 23 — our expert pick and betting guide.
The ESPN Events Invitational gets underway with Penn State taking on Texas A&M on Thursday. These two teams met in the NCAA Tournament last season, where Penn State handled Texas A&M with ease by pouring in 3s from all over the court in a comfortable win.
This year's game should be much different, as the Nittany Lions have a totally new roster along with a new head coach now that Micah Shrewsberry departed for Notre Dame. There is reason to believe Penn State will still be a successful basketball team this season under Mike Rhoades, but it will look quite a bit different.
Texas A&M, on the other hand, looks very similar to last year's team that tore through the SEC. Superstar guard Wade Taylor returns, along with a supporting cast of Tyrece Radford and Henry Coleman, who are capable of beating anyone on any given night.
We should be in store for a fun game before your Thanksgiving dinner!
Find my betting pick and prediction for Penn State vs. Texas A&M below.
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Penn State Nittany Lions
This is not the Penn State team that fans came to love last season. After building one of the most fun and explosive offenses in the country around superstar guard Jalen Pickett last year, the Nittany Lions have had to rebuild completely after Micah Shrewsberry left the program.
Not only are Shrewsberry and Pickett gone, but sharpshooters like Andrew Funk, Seth Lundy, Myles Dread and Camren Wynter also left the Nittany Lions. Last year's team finished the season ranked 13th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency and seventh in 3-point shooting. This year's team has dropped all the way down to 147th overall offensively and 254th in 3-point percentage.
It's not all doom and gloom though, as Rhoades brought Ace Baldwin with him from VCU to captain his stingy defense. Penn State is off to a strong start on that end as it ranks 38th in the country in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency.
Texas A&M Aggies
While Penn State has a totally new look and feel, Texas A&M looks similar to last season's team. Buzz Williams' team went a remarkable 15-3 in SEC play last year, returned almost all of its key pieces and has dreams of winning big this season.
The Aggies offense has been better than their defense to start the year…but only by a small margin. This team is balanced, ranked 16th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency and 31st defensively. The Aggies can beat you multiple ways, and they enter this game 4-0 with two comfortable road wins over top-100 opponents in Ohio State and SMU.
The only thing that isn't going well for this team is shooting – A&M has made just 24.7% of its shots from beyond the arc thus far. The Aggies were not a good shooting team by any means last season, but the woes were not this bad either.
Penn State vs. Texas A&M
Betting Pick & Prediction
While the shooting issues can certainly open the door for an upset, this Penn State team has been too inept offensively to inspire belief that it can make this one interesting. The line opened at seven points and has been bet up to 7.5, which feels accurate.
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The better value here is betting under 136.5 with two offenses known for missing shots against two tough defensive teams. Add in a potentially sleepy noon tip on Thanksgiving, and we can expect plenty of misses in this one.
