Howard Bison vs Pennsylvania Quakers Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 2

Howard won 23 games last season behind a defense that allowed 67.8 points a game. Pennsylvania comes home to The Palestra still looking for its first win after a rough opener at Illinois.

The Matchup

Howard visits Pennsylvania on Monday evening at The Palestra in Philadelphia, on ESPN+, with Pennsylvania a 5.5-point favorite, a total of 158.5, and the Quakers priced at -250 on the moneyline against Howard at +205. Howard is 1-1, and both of its games so far have been on the road. Pennsylvania is 0-1 and plays at home for the first time this season.

Howard lost 72-62 at Yale to open its season, then won 94-83 at Alcorn State on Friday. Cedric Taylor III has carried the Bison through both games, leading the team at 19.0 points and 6.5 rebounds a game, and James Brown leads Howard at 2.0 assists a game, a number that says this offense runs through Taylor first and asks questions later.

Pennsylvania's only game so far was a 112-70 loss at Illinois, and that score needs context before it needs judgment: Illinois is ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25, and the Quakers were never going to learn much about themselves in Champaign beyond how far the top of the sport sits above them. Michael Zanoni scored 16 points in that loss, TJ Power had 4 assists, and Sir Mohammed pulled down 7 rebounds, and all three give Penn a chance at a steadier night than its opener allowed.

Last season is the steadier read on both teams, and it favors Howard. The Bison went 23-10, scored 77.5 points a game, and allowed 67.8, the defensive number that built their season. Pennsylvania went 18-11, scored 76.1 points a game, and allowed 73.3. Howard's two games this season came against a very different level of opponent than Penn's single trip to Illinois, so the early numbers deserve a light touch from both sides: Howard has banked a road win already, and Penn has banked only a hard lesson.

Key Factors

Taylor is where this game starts. Howard's best player leads his team in scoring and rebounding, and Pennsylvania has to decide how much help to send at him, because the Bison do not have a second proven creator behind him: Brown's team-high 2.0 assists a game tells you how thin the playmaking gets once Taylor gives the ball up. If Penn guards him straight up and he still gets his points, Howard stays in this game all night.

Howard's defense is the other half of the case. The Bison allowed 67.8 points a game last season, well better than Pennsylvania's 73.3, and a total of 158.5 asks both teams to play a faster, looser game than Howard's defense usually allows. Yale scored 72 and Alcorn State scored 83 on Howard this season, so the Bison are not locking anybody down yet, but their identity last season was built on making opponents work for everything, and that travels.

The Palestra is the honest counterpoint, and it is a real one. It is one of the loudest small buildings in the sport when Penn is good, this is the Quakers' home opener, and Howard is playing its third straight road game to open the season.

Pennsylvania scored 76.1 points a game last season, so the Quakers have enough offense to punish a tired road team, and if Zanoni and Power get comfortable early, the crowd can turn a close game into the kind of night where a favorite covers late. The bet against that is a Howard team that has already won once on the road this season and defends well enough to keep this inside two possessions.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.