Big Ten foes will collide when the Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-20) square off against the Wisconsin Badgers (19-10) at Williams Arena. The game starts at 9:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 2 and can be seen on BTN.
The Golden Gophers are hoping for a better outcome after their 84-71 loss to Illinois on Sunday. Joey King was the top performer for the Golden Gophers, finishing with 17 points, six rebounds, and two assists. The Badgers are coming off a 68-57 win against Michigan on Sunday. Bronson Koenig led the game in scoring by posting 19 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
The Golden Gophers come into this game 8-19 Straight Up (SU) and 10-15 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 8-2 ATS. Over their past 10 games, the Minnesota defense has been playing lights out, only allowing 62.5 points per game, well under their season average of 74.0. Minnesota has given up very few turnovers with an average of only 11.1 per game.
On the other side, the Badgers head into the game with records of 15-14 ATS and 19-10 SU. The Wisconsin defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 18th in Division I with only 64.0 points allowed per game. The Wisconsin defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only 6.0 field goals from three-point range per game. Wisconsin has not committed many turnovers, averaging only 11.1 per game.
This is the first meeting of the season for Minnesota and Wisconsin. The last time they played, Wisconsin came out on top, moving its SU record against Minnesota to 8-2 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5. Minnesota held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Wisconsin never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Wisc, ATS Winner – Wisc
Notes
Minnesota scores an average of just 69.8 points per game (ranked 197th). Wisconsin ranks 18th in points allowed, giving up 64.0 points per game.
The Wisconsin Badgers have a defensive rating of 99.6 (ranked 74th), while the Minnesota Golden Gophers have an offensive rating of 101.6 (ranked 259th).
Wisconsin has an average field goal percentage of 43.3%. Minnesota is an abysmal 2-14 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Wisconsin Badgers both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Minnesota is 302nd and 298th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Wisconsin ranks 227th and 217th in these categories.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers make an average of 5.5 steals per game. When the Wisconsin Badgers allow 5 or more steals, they are a dazzling 12-3.
