Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/06/2022

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Sunday, March 6, 2022

Venue:  Welsh Ryan Arena, Evanston, IL

Where to Watch:  Big Ten Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Minnesota +7.5, Northwestern -7.5; Over/Under:  137 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Minnesota +7.5, Northwestern -7.5; Over/Under:  137.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Minnesota +7.5, Northwestern -7.5; Over/Under:  137.5 points

 

Minnesota Golden Gophers:  13-15 (13th place, Big ten)

Northwestern Wildcats:  13-15 (12th place, Big ten)

 

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Minnesota Golden Gophers:  1-4 last 5

Northwestern Wildcats:  1-4 last 5

 

 

 

Minnesota is coming into this game with a 13-15 record overall and they are 3-8 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their last conference matchup of the year and they are currently 4-15 in their conference games this season. They have lost 5 of their last 6 games and are coming into this one on a 3 game losing streak. Their last win was against the Northwestern Wildcats while their 3 losses since then have come against the Wisconsin Badgers, the Indiana Hoosiers, and the Maryland Terrapins in their last game. Jamison Battle led the team in points in that game with 39 while Payton Willis was next on the team with 21 points. Battle and E.J. Stephens both led the team in assists in that game with 2 each while Stephens and Sean Sutherlin off the bench both led the team in rebounds with 8 each. They were 39.4% from the field, 39.3% from 3-point range, and 83.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 67.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 69.3 PPG against them. Minnesota has an ATS record of 13-15 this season and their O/U record is 16-11-1.

 

 

NW is coming into this game with a 13-15 record overall and they are 9-6 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the last conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 6-13 in their conference games this season. They have lost 5 of their last 6 games and are coming into this one on a 2 game losing streak. Their last win was against the Nebraska Cornhuskers while their 2 losses since then have come against the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Iowa Hawkeyes in their last game. Ty Berry off the bench led the team in points in that game with 19 while Ryan Young was next on the team with 10 points. Chase Audige and Brooks Barnhizer both led the team in assists in that game with 3 each while Pete Nance led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 37.5% from the field, 32% from 3-point range, and 61.1% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 72.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68.8 PPG against them. NW has an ATS record of 12-14-1 this season and their O/U record is 13-14.

 

Minnesota has not been playing well in their recent games. They have lost their last 3 straight coming into this one and they have lost 5 of their last 6 games. They have been keeping their games close recently when playing at home, but when playing on the road they have been losing by double digits. They are only 3-8 on the road this season but they are going up against a NW side that is only 9-6 at home and they both have been struggling against conference opponents this season. NW has actually been a bit better against conference opponents but they have also lost their last 2 games and 5 of their last 6. NW has also been getting blown out in their games on the road but they are a much better team at home. This is a game between two very bad teams that really have nothing left to play for except finishing their season off with a win. This will be a close game but the advantage goes to NW here as they are the home team and should squeak out this win by a few points.

 

Minnesota Northwestern Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Sunday, March 6, 2022 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Northwestern 67 Minnesota 63.

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Minnesota Golden Gophers: 19-12 ATS after playing 2 consecutive games as an underdog. 16-11 OVER in all games. 29-20 OVER as an underdog.

Northwestern Wildcats: 8-16 ATS as a favorite. 15-26 ATS in all home games. 21-15 OVER after 1 or more consecutive unders.

 

 

Minnesota Golden Gophers:  E. Curry (F) Ques Sun - Upper Body injury. I. Ihnen (F) out for season - Knee injury. P. Fox (F) out for season - Knee injury.

Northwestern Wildcats:  None.

 

 

“I want these guys to be proud of being here. They give a lot, and like I said, they didn’t have to believe in me from Day 1, first-year head coach, and they did. I don’t take that lightly. This is a place that, while they have gone to multiple spots, I’m all about where you finish.” - Ben Johnson on his first season as coach of Minnesota.

 

 

"We played like a very tired team tonight. Our energy wasn't there, and that's not a good recipe for playing Iowa." - Chris Collins on his team’s loss against Iowa.

 

 

 

J. Battle 

E. Curry 

L. Loewe 

E. Stephens 

P. Willis

 

C. Audige 

R. Beran 

B. Buie 

P. Nance 

J. Roper II

 

 

PPG: J. Battle (17.3)

APG: P. Willis (4.3)

Reb/G: J. Battle (6.3)

 

PPG: P. Nance (14.6)

APG: B. Buie (4.3)

Reb/G: P. Nance (6.3)

 

Coaches:

Minnesota Golden Gophers: Ben Johnson (1st season)

Northwestern Wildcats: Chris Collins (9th season)