The South Dakota State Jackrabbits will travel to Williams Arena to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 8 and can be seen on ES3.
The Golden Gophers fell to South Dakota 85-81 on Saturday. Jordan Murphy recorded 19 points and 17 rebounds, earning his second double-double of the year. The Jackrabbits, meanwhile, are coming off an 80-53 win against Wayne State (NE) on Wednesday. Deondre Parks had a good performance, posting 18 points and 10 rebounds to claim his first double-double of the season.
The odds for Minnesota and South Dakota State are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is 152 points. The Golden Gophers are looking to build on their records of 5-3 Straight Up (SU) and 2-5 Against The Spread (ATS). Minnesota has gotten to the free throw line often this season. They average 19 made free throws per game, which is 26th-best in Division I. Turning to the defensive side, the Golden Gophers are the 46th-best team in the country at blocking shots, averaging 5.2 blocks per game.
On the other side, it’s hard to argue with the ATS success of South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits are clearly doing something right with a 5-0 record ATS to go along with a 7-1 record SU so far. The Jackrabbits have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the nation at .364.
Minnesota and South Dakota State will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, South Dakota State came out on top, bringing its SU record to 9-0 over the Jackrabbits. Additionally, Minnesota holds the advantage ATS with a record of 2-1-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Minn, ATS Winner – Minn, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota’s last 5 games.
Minnesota is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games at home.
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against South Dakota State.
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits have a defensive rating of 90.0 (ranked 29th), while the Minnesota Golden Gophers have an offensive rating of 109.3 (ranked 116th).
The Minnesota Golden Gophers average 70.7 possessions per game and 1.093 points per possession, while the South Dakota State Jackrabbits earn fewer possessions (69.3) but more points per possession (1.149).
The Minnesota Golden Gophers average an effective field goal percentage of 49.8% this season. The South Dakota State Jackrabbits are a perfect 1-0 in games where opponents have an eFG% of 49.8% or greater.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers average 21.0 three point attempts per game, and the South Dakota State Jackrabbits attempt 20.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Minnesota is 4-2 and South Dakota State is 6-1.
South Dakota State, the 91st-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 39.6 rebounds per game. Minnesota does worse, ranked 191st with 36.9.
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits average 7.0 steals per game. The Minnesota Golden Gophers are undefeated with a 2-0 record when they give up at least 7 steals.
