Minnesota Hopes to End Skid
The Minnesota Golden Gophers and Rutgers Scarlet Knights will be facing each other for the first time this season.
The Gophers are in the midst of a five-game losing streak, with four of their five losses coming by double digits. Minnesota is last in the Big Ten with a 1-9 conference record.
The Knights will be looking to bounce back after falling on the road to Iowa. Rutgers has lost two of its last three games but remains tied for third in the conference with a 6-4 Big Ten record.
Both teams are coming off-road losses. Wednesday’s game will be the first of two between Minnesota and Rutgers and gives the Scarlet Knights a solid chance for a win at home.
According to college betting odds, Rutgers (+8000) is tied for 25th to win the national title. The Scarlet Knights (+4000) have the third-best odds to win the Big Ten title while the Gophers (+25000) are tied for eighth.
Let’s check the latest college basketball news, stats, injury reports and college basketball lines for Minnesota vs Rutgers. We’ve got plenty of NCAA basketball picks for you to consider.
Minnesota Continues to Struggle
The Gophers have continued their freefall in conference play with their fifth loss in a row coming at the hands of Northwestern.
Minnesota’s only win in the conference came against another struggling team Ohio State, which it beat in the middle of January.
Though the Gophers’ defense has had trouble stopping opponents, their offense has been just as bad, leaving Minnesota with the worst point differential in the Big Ten at -5.5.
Minnesota is last in the conference in points and third-worst in field-goal percentage, averaging 62.2 points on 42% shooting. The Gophers have failed to reach the 62-point mark in any of their last five losses, averaging 54.6 points a game in that time.
The Gophers’ defense is slightly better, but their 67.7 points allowed per game is still 10th in the conference. Minnesota was able to hold three of its last five opponents under that mark, with teams averaging 68.2 points during that span.
Dawson Garcia leads the Gophers in scoring, averaging 14.9 points, and he was a big reason Minnesota got its win over the Buckeyes, scoring 28. However, he has missed the past two games. Jamison Battle has stepped up in Garcia’s absence, scoring 20 in Minnesota’s last two games. Battle averages 13.1 points a game and he may need to continue to lead the offense with Garcia questionable for Wednesday.
Rutgers Looks to Get Back on Track
The Scarlet Knights have also hit a bit of a skid, losing two their last three, with both losses coming on the road.
Rutgers’ defense has been a big factor in its wins, as it leads the Big Ten in both points and field goal percentage allowed. Teams average 58.7 points on 37.8% shooting against the Knights.
Though the defense has been a strength for Rutgers, it wasn’t there in its last loss to Iowa. The Hawkeyes scored 93 against the Scarlet Knights, the most points Rutgers has allowed to an opponent all season. The shots were also dropping for the Hawkeyes, as they finished shooting 43.3% from the field and 50% from 3.
The Scarlet Knights also scored their most points of the conference season against Iowa, putting up 82, but it wasn’t enough. Since their offense is in the middle of the Big Ten, averaging 70.5 points, the Knights’ defense will continue to be key in their victories.
In Rutgers’ past four wins, the Knights didn’t reach the 70-point mark once, averaging 65.5 points in that time. However, their defense also held off opponents, as teams failed to reach 65 in any of those wins, averaging 55.3 points in that time. Rutgers is second in the conference with a +11.8 point differential.
The Scarlet Knights need to continue to run with its defense to find success, and a stumbling Minnesota offense offers the perfect opportunity to bounce back.
Minnesota vs Rutgers Game Injuries
Minnesota vs Rutgers Head-to-Head
The Gophers got the better of the Knights the last time out, winning 68-65 in January 2022 to end a four-game series win streak for Rutgers. The teams have competed 15 times, with Minnesota leading the series 9-6.
Minnesota vs Rutgers Game Information
- Game: Minnesota (7-13, 1-9 Big Ten) vs Rutgers (14-7, 6-4)
- Location: Jersey Mike’s Arena, Piscataway, NJ
- Day/Time: Wednesday, Feb. 1, 8:30 p.m. ET
- Minnesota vs Rutgers Live stream: TBS.com
Minnesota vs Rutgers Betting Lines
Minnesota vs Rutgers Picks and Prediction
This game offers a good chance for Rutgers to get back on track as the Scarlet Knights face a slipping Minnesota team on their home court, where they own a 12-2 record.
Though the Knights’ offense isn’t the strongest, they boast the top defense in the Big Ten, which should do a great job at stopping an even worse Minnesota offense. Rutgers just had a tough loss on the road, but it put up a strong defensive performance in the previous game at home, holding Penn State to 45 points. Minnesota will be looking to end a losing streak, but the Knights should get another big win at home.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are listed at -1410 in our Vegas college basketball lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Scarlet Knights, you have a chance to win $7. The Minnesota Golden Gophers are +830, offering a chance to win $830 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Rutgers Scarlet Knights a 93.38% chance to win, with the Minnesota Golden Gophers at 10.75%.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
Minnesota vs Rutgers Trends
Minnesota vs Rutgers Edge
Minnesota vs Rutgers Results
Minnesota vs Rutgers Game Summary
