Penn State vs. North Carolina Central odds, prediction: 2025 college basketball picks from proven model

Teams looking to get back into the win column meet when the North Carolina Central Eagles battle the Penn State Nittany Lions in non-conference action on Monday afternoon. North Carolina Central is coming off a 74-72 loss to Longwood on Dec. 20, while Penn State is coming off an 80-46 loss at Pittsburgh on Dec. 21. The Eagles (4-10), who have lost four of five, are 0-8 on the road this season. The Nittany Lions (8-4), who have lost three in a row, are 6-1 on their home court in 2025-26.

Tipoff from Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa., is set for 1 p.m. ET. This will be the first-ever meeting between the teams. Penn State is a 23.5-point favorite in the latest Penn State vs. North Carolina Central odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 148.5. Before making any NC Central vs. Penn State picks, check out the men’s college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

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The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times and it enters Week 8 on a sizzling 7-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks. Anyone following its college basketball betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns. 

Now, the model has simulated NC Central vs. Penn State 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted men’s college basketball picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several men’s college basketball odds and men’s college basketball betting lines for Penn State vs. NC Central:

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Basketball How to make North Carolina Central vs. Penn State picks

SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total (148.5 points). The Over is 6-4 in the last 10 Penn State games, including 3-1 in the last four. The Over hit with room to spare the last time NC Central plays a power program, as it lost 103-67 to Kentucky earlier this month, with the point total sailing past the 148.5 mark in that game. 

The model projects the Eagles to have two players register 12.6 points or more, led by Gage Lattimore’s projected 17.4 points. The Nittany Lions, meanwhile, are projected to have five players scoring 10.4 or more points, led by Kayden Mingo and Freddie Dilione V, both projected to score 16.8 points. The model projects a combined total of 154 points as the Over clears in more than 60% of simulations.

The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.

So who wins North Carolina Central vs. Penn State, and which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the North Carolina Central vs. Penn State spread to back, all from the advanced model that has simulated this game 10,000 times, and find out.