The Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-17) look to end their 12-game losing streak when they take on the Michigan Wolverines (17-7) at Williams Arena. The game starts at 9:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 10 and will air on BTN.
The Golden Gophers lost big to Northwestern 82-58 in their last game. Bakary Konate was the top performer for the Golden Gophers, contributing six points, seven rebounds, and one block. The Wolverines are coming off an 89-73 loss at the hands of Michigan State in their last outing. Zak Irvin had a team-high 19 points.
The high-powered offense of the Wolverines (11th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 116.9) will try to exploit the porous defense of the Golden Gophers (273rd in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 107.8), a matchup that should be advantageous to Michigan.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Wolverines won the first game 74-69. Nate Mason was a top player in the game with 25 points, three rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one three-pointer.
The Golden Gophers are looking to improve on their records of 6-17 Straight Up (SU) and 7-14 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 3-7 ATS over their last 10 games. Minnesota has given up very few turnovers with an average of only 11.0 per game.
On the other side, Michigan has a SU record of 17-7 and an ATS record of 11-12. The Wolverines will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In their most recent 10 games, their scoring has dropped to 64.2 PPG, compared to 69.0 for the duration of the season. The Wolverines are shooting lights out so far, with a .482 field-goal percentage that ranks 22nd in Division I. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Wolverines. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the country at 1.58. The Michigan defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 41st in Division I with only 66.0 points allowed per game.
Following the Wolverines’ latest win over Minnesota, their SU record rises to 9-1 over Minnesota in their most recent games. Additionally, Michigan leads the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Michigan held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings. Minnesota never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mich, ATS Winner – Mich
Notes
Minnesota scores an average of just 69.0 points per game (ranked 206th). Michigan ranks 41st in points allowed, giving up 66.0 points per game.
Minnesota scores just 70.9 points per home game (ranked 216th). Michigan ranks 67th in points allowed on the road, giving up 71.1 points.
In its last game, Minnesota lost by a margin of 24 points. Michigan is 8-1 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Minnesota has a 2-3 record in blowouts.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers average 68.4 possessions per game and 1.010 points per possession, while the Michigan Wolverines earn fewer possessions (65.7) but more points per possession (1.169).
Michigan has an average effective field goal percentage of 57.4% (ranked sixth in the nation). Minnesota is a losing 1-3 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Michigan ranks 62nd in assists, recording 15.5 per game. Minnesota performs worse at 239th with 12.5 assists per game.
On average, Minnesota makes 5.3 steals per game. Michigan has a solid 5-3 record when it gives up at least 5 steals.
