No. 16 Michigan State is laying points on the oddsboard to No. 22 Penn State on Tuesday, looking to use its remarkable play at Breslin Center to remedy a pedestrian run of form. According to trends when the Nittany Lions clash against ranked foes, we should expect a fun, offensive game. Two other Big Ten men's hoops games on the evening's betting docket include Rutgers opening a 7.5-point underdog at No. 9 Maryland, while Michigan is a 2.5-point favorite hosting Ohio State in the hardwood edition of The Game. Betting lines tips, and situational trends for the three Big Ten clashes below: ## No. 22 Penn State at No. 16 Michigan State (-8.5, 144.5) __Tip:__ 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT (BTN) __Betting scoop:__ Michigan State (16-6 SU, 11-11 ATS), tied with Illinois atop the Big Ten standings, has dropped three of its last six games, each as the betting favorite. In their most recent outing, a 64-63 defeat at Wisconsin as 5.5-point chalk on Saturday, the Spartans trailed by 19 points in the first half. “We gotta do a better job of being the team that we are, because we are a really good team,” senior guard Cassius Winston [said](https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state/spartans/2020/02/03/michigan-state-basketball-penn-state-scouting-report-prediction-preview/4649419002/) last week in the midst of Michigan State's substandard run. “And we got to figure out a way to pull it in and put it together for longer.” A return to Breslin Center is ideal to right the ship for head coach Tom Izzo. Since 2015, the program is a remarkable 33-9-1 ATS (78.6%) hosting B1G rivals in the building, winning each of the last 11 by double digits. Even the conference elites do not have an answer for the Spartans in East Lansing. Since the start of last season, Michigan State is a perfect 7-0 SU and ATS welcoming ranked Big Ten opponents to campus, besting a -9.2 average line by a 8.8 margin. Penn State (16-5 SU, 12-8-1 ATS), which has won and covered four in a row, is pushing top programs into high-scoring games. Since last January, the OVER is 10-1 when the Nittany Lions square off against a ranked opponent. The margin is a whopping 16.6 points (137.0 avg. total). The winner has reached at least 76 points in 10 of the 11 contests. ## Rutgers at No. 9 Maryland (-7.5, 131) __Tip:__ 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT (FS1) __Betting scoop:__ Rutgers (14-6 SU, 13-5-1 ATS) slipped out of the AP Poll [this week](https://apnews.com/APTop25CollegeBasketballPoll) following a 69-63 loss versus Michigan at Madison Square Garden on Big Ten Super Saturday last time out. The Scarlet Knights tipped off 2-point pups in defeat, their third loss in their last six games. Rutgers went 27-of-83 (32.5%) from the field against the Wolverines, unable to take advantage of one of the least effective defenses in the Big Ten. Michigan ranks ninth in the conference in KenPom's adjusted [efficiency ratings](https://kenpom.com/). This has been an issue for Scarlet Knights' bettors all season. They are 3-4-1 ATS when facing a team with an opponent field goal percentage greater than 42.8%, as opposed to 10-1 ATS versus those with a lower rate. Rutgers averages 72.1 points against the former and 71.0 versus the latter. Maryland (17-4 SU, 13-8 ATS) enters with the most efficient defense in the conference, allowing 89.6 points per 100 possessions. Like the Spartans, the Terps dominate on their home hardwood. Since 2018, Maryland is 13-1 SU and 10-4 ATS in conference clashes at XFINITY Center. Mark Turgeon's men are yielding 61.4 points per game in this spot. ## Ohio State at Michigan (-2.5, 136.5) __Tip:__ p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT (ESPN2) __Betting scoop:__ Michigan (13-8 SU, 11-10 ATS) is coming off consecutive wins following a 1-5 SU and ATS run to begin the New Year. The team is offensive-minded with five players averaging double figures in scoring, led by center Jon Teske (13.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg). The Wolverines are 2-5 SU and ATS when the 7-foot-1 senior is held under 50% from the floor this season. Ohio State (14-7 SU, 11-10 ATS) is on a similar rebound as Michigan, also notching consecutive wins following a 1-6 SU and 0-7 ATS after the Holiday break. Unlike the Wolverines, defense guides the Buckeyes. Outside of a 90-point outburst by Penn State in a January 18 defeat, Ohio State has not allowed more than 68 points to an opponent in its last 11 games. The UNDER is 8-3 in this stretch. The Buckeyes offense is abysmal as road underdogs in the Big Ten. Since Chris Holtmann took over as coach in 2017, the program averages 58.7 points per game on 38.6% shooting when catching points in conference play. This includes a 55-point effort in defeat at Maryland on January 7 in its only such effort during the current campaign. *This story was compiled with the help of queries performed at [SportsDatabase](http://sportsdatabase.com/).* __Bookmark us:__ [College basketball betting](https://www.betchicago.com/ncaa-basketball-betting)