The Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-19) finish out the regular season on the road at State Farm Center when they face off with the Illinois Fighting Illini (12-16). The game begins at 8:00 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 28 and will air on BTN.
The Fighting Illini are hoping for a better outcome after their 74-47 loss to Indiana on Thursday. Jalen Coleman-Lands finished with 21 points to lead the team. The Golden Gophers, meanwhile, are coming off an 83-61 win over Rutgers on Tuesday. Jordan Murphy played well and claimed his eighth double-double of the season, accumulating 19 points and 14 rebounds.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Fighting Illini winning the first matchup 76-71. Malcolm Hill put up a double-double in the victory with 28 points and 10 rebounds.
The Fighting Illini have gone 12-16 Straight Up (SU) and 11-12-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They have an ATS record of 7-3 in their last 10 games, but are just 2-8 SU. The Fighting Illini are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting a stellar .736 from the free throw line. Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of the Illinois offense, which averages just 10.4 turnovers per game.
As for their opponent, Minnesota has a SU record of 8-19 and an ATS record of 10-15.
In their previous meeting this season, Illinois beat Minnesota, moving its SU record against Minnesota to 6-4 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. The Fighting Illini also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. During their latest five matchups, neither team ever held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Minn, ATS Winner – Minn
Notes
In its last game, Minnesota won by a margin of 22 points. Illinois is 0-3 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Minnesota has a 3-3 record in blowouts.
Illinois has an average field goal percentage of 42.7%. Minnesota is an abysmal 2-13 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the Illinois Fighting Illini attempt 22.0 three point field goals per game and the Minnesota Golden Gophers attempt 20.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Illinois has a subpar record of 7-11, while Minnesota is 7-8.
The Illinois Fighting Illini make an average of 5.2 steals per game. The Minnesota Golden Gophers are 6-7 when they allow 5 or more steals.
