The Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-2) take on the South Dakota Coyotes (4-3) at Williams Arena. Action begins at 3:00 pm ET on Saturday, Dec. 5.
The Golden Gophers beat Clemson 89-83 in their last game. Jordan Murphy was a key piece, recording his first double-double this season with 24 points and 10 rebounds. The Coyotes, meanwhile, are coming off a 77-71 win against Eastern Washington in their last outing. Shy McClelland led the game in scoring by posting 18 points on 9-for-12 shooting.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Minnesota, a considerable 12-point favorite, takes on South Dakota. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently 158 points. The Golden Gophers are attempting to build on their records of 5-2 Straight Up (SU) and 2-4 Against The Spread (ATS). The Golden Gophers are a dangerously accurate shooting team from the line with a .754 free throw percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I.
On the other side, South Dakota has a SU record of 4-3 and an ATS record of 3-3. South Dakota is one of the top shooting teams in the country, converting .484 of its shots from the floor. The Coyotes are one of the top teams in the country at finding the open man with an average of 17.4 assists per game.
This game marks the first time Minnesota and South Dakota have played one another in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Minn, ATS Winner – SouDak, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota’s last 5 games.
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Ranked 98th, the Minnesota Golden Gophers have an offensive rating of 111.1. The South Dakota Coyotes rank 289th with a defensive rating of just 109.3.
The South Dakota Coyotes average a field goal percentage of 48.4% this season. The Minnesota Golden Gophers are a perfect 1-0 in games where opponents have a FG% of 48.4% or greater.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers rank lower for their field goal percentage (158th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (121st), but the South Dakota Coyotes have a better FG% ranking (50th) than eFG% ranking (57th).
South Dakota ranks 31st in assists, recording 17.4 per game. Minnesota performs worse at 137th with 14.4 assists per game.
Minnesota, the 52nd-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.0 per game. South Dakota does worse, ranked 161st with 3.6.
Minnesota has forced an average turnover percentage of 18.4% this season. South Dakota has a losing 1-3 record when its TO% is 18.4% or higher.
