Big 10 College Basketball – Northwestern vs. Minnesota
by Eric Williams
While the common sports wisdom says that it is hard to beat the same team three times in one season, the Big Ten Tournament matchup at Canseco Fieldhouse.
The winner of tonight’s contest will advance to play Indiana on Friday in the quarterfinal round while the loser could see its season come to a grinding halt, though the Gophers would appear to be headed to the annual NIT Tournament with their solid straight up record.
Northwestern is a pathetic 1-9 in their last ten games and comes into this showdown riding a three-game winning streak while the Gophers are a respectable 5-5 in their last ten games but comes into this matchup having lost two consecutive games.
Minnesota took both matchups from the Wildcats during the regular season, winning 82-63 in Minneapolis on Jan. 9 and 92-72 in Evanston on Feb. 6.
The Wildcats are averaging 61.0 points per game on 43.5 percent shooting, but have allowed an enormous 68.6 points per game while letting their opponents shoot a blistering 48.7 percent from the field.
The Golden Gophers are averaging 70.0 points per game on 44.7 percent shooting while allowing 63.9 points per game on 42.6 percent shooting.
Northwestern is 4-6 against the spread in their last ten games and has failed to over in three straight games while the Gophers are 5-5 against the spread over the same span but just 1-4 against the spread in their last five games.
Here is a look at tonight’s Key Trends, followed by my NCAA Basketball Betting Free Picks:
The Wildcats are 4-0 ATS in their last four neutral site games as an underdog.
The Wildcats are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games following a S.U. loss.
The Golden Gophers are 5-0 ATS in their last five games vs. a team with a winning percentage below .400.
The Golden Gophers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a S.U. loss.
The Over is 5-0 in Wildcats last five Thursday games.
The Under is 4-0 in Golden Gophers last four games following a S.U. loss.
Analysis: The Gophers have beaten the Wildcats by 19 and 20 points respectively in their two victories this season and should be able to pull off a ten-point win in this matchup tonight. Take Minnesota to cover the spread with another emphatic victory. I also really like the ‘Over’ in this matchup as these two teams have gone well over this number in both matchups this season.
NCAAB Free Picks: Minnesota -9½ Points/Over 128 Total Points
05:00 PM EST NCAA Point Spreads
+9½ -110
-9½ -110
Over 128 -110
Under 128 -110
Big 10 Conference - First Round @ Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
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