Wisconsin at Minnesota 2012 College Basketball Predictions: The Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s basketball team is not assured of an NCAA Tournament bid based on its 2012 record but a home win over No. 21 Wisconsin tonight would certainly not hurt their cause. The Gophers (17-7), at 5-6 in BIG TEN play, are tied with Purdue in 7th place in the league standings while Wisconsin (18-6), at 7-4 in the league is alone in fourth place behind Ohio State, Michigan State and Michigan. ESPN will televise the game as the first part of their Thursday NCAA package with tip-off time set for 9 pm ET.
Oddsmakers at online sportsbook TopBet.com list the Badgers as 1-chalk road favorites with a 115 combined score (over/under) total. Moneyline odds are currently off the College Basketball Odds board.
Minnesota only has four active players on its roster that have logged minutes against Wisconsin. Maverick Ahanmisi, Austin Hollins & Rodney Williams have played one game against the Badgers while Ralph Sampson III has played in four border wars. Sampson III holds averages of 8.5 points & 6.0 rebounds in those four games. Williams missed the 2010 matchup with an injury.
The Gophers have a record of 65-19 (.774) at Williams arena under head coach Tubby Smith in his four-plus seasons at Minnesota. The Gophers went a perfect 10-0 during the non-conference schedule at Williams Arena. Under Smith, Minnesota is 41-1 in regular season non-conference games at “The Barn”. Minnesota is allowing just 60.7 points per game at Williams arena under Smith (84 games). Under Smith, opponents have only reached 70 points 19 times in the 84 games at The Barn (22% of the time). So far this season the Gophers are giving up the least amount of points at Williams Arena in the Smith era at 57.6 points per game, nine fewer points allowed per game than a season ago. The previous best came during the 2008-09 campaign when Minnesota’s opponents averaged 58.4 ppg.
The Badgers will be looking for their fourth straight game on the road but have not fared well at Minnesota, losing their previous two trips to the Twin Cities. The Badgers however are 4-1 away from home in the conference. Coach Bo Ryan knows his team will need to play well at Williams Arena to get a win. Wisconsin has shot 31.7 percent and failed to score more than 52 points while losing its last two trips to Minnesota.
The Gophers, who have won 5-of-7 games following a four-loss skid to open Big Ten play, won 69-61 at Nebraska on Sunday. Chip Armelin scored 15 points off the bench as Minnesota shot 54.0 percent and outscored the Cornhuskers 37-28 in the second half.
College Basketball Pick: I like the home team in this one. My Pick – Gophers -1.
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