Golden Gophers vs. Badgers Betting Preview & Best Bets | Jan 10

Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-7 SU, 2-11-2 ATS) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (12-3 SU, 9-6 ATS)

When: Friday, January 10th, 7:00 PM (ET)

Where: Kohl Center, WI, Madison

TV: PEAC

Point Spread: MINNST +13.5/WISC -13.5

Total: 142.5

Money Line: Minnesota Golden Gophers +627/-1028

Notable Injuries

Golden Gophers

• Tyler Cochran (Questionable) Foot
• Femi Odukale (Questionable) Ribs
• Grayson Grove (Out) Redshirt

Badgers

• Max Klesmit (Questionable) Foot
• Riccardo Greppi (Questionable) Undisclosed

Recent Form

Minnesota dropped to 8-7 on the season after a narrow 89-88 loss to Ohio State on Monday. Despite being +5 underdogs, the Golden Gophers kept it close and covered the spread. The game’s total points of 177 far exceeded the O/U line of 138.5.

Minnesota led 28-27 at halftime but allowed 37 points in the second half while scoring 36 of their own. They’ll look to bounce back after this tough home loss.

Wisconsin improved to 12-3 on the season with a 75-63 road win over Rutgers on Monday. The Badgers, who were -1.5 favorites, covered the spread with the victory.

Wisconsin led 43-34 at halftime and held Rutgers to 29 points in the 2nd half while scoring 32. The game’s total points of 138 fell short of the 157 O/U line.

Analysis

In their last game, the Golden Gophers put up 88 points, shooting 45.7% from the field and 41.4% from beyond the arc, connecting on 12 of 29 three-point attempts. Their effective field goal percentage was 54.3%, but they struggled at the free-throw line, hitting just 44.4% of their attempts (12/27).

Parker Fox led the way with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, while Lu’Cye Patterson added 20 points and four assists. Isaac Asuma also contributed 18 points, hitting 3 of 4 from deep, and the Gophers grabbed 16 offensive rebounds as a team, finishing with 18 assists.

Despite Minnesota’s defensive struggles, they allowed 89 points on 45% shooting from the field. The opposing team shot 48% from two-point range, hitting 20 of their 41 attempts.

From beyond the arc, Minnesota’s defense gave up 12 threes on 29 attempts, a 41% shooting performance. The Golden Gophers also sent their opponents to the line 27 times, where they made 12 free throws, shooting 44%. Minnesota allowed 16 offensive rebounds.

Wisconsin’s offense was clicking in their last game, putting up 75 points on 54.4% shooting from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 59.6%, thanks to their 68.6% shooting on two-point attempts. From beyond the arc, they hit 31.8% of their shots, going 7-for-22, and they were perfect from the free-throw line, hitting all six attempts.

Steven Crowl was a standout, scoring 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-3 from deep, and grabbing 10 rebounds. John Blackwell led the team with 21 points, while Tyson Acuff added 17, hitting 3-of-8 from three-point range. The Badgers also dished out 15 assists, with Crowl and Blackwell each contributing 3.

Wisconsin’s defense was strong, holding their opponent to just 63 points on 34% shooting from the field. They limited two-point attempts to 18/47, or 38%.

From beyond the arc, Wisconsin’s defense allowed seven threes on 26 attempts, a 26% shooting rate. They also sent the opponent to the line 13 times, where they made six free throws, shooting 46%.

Betting Trends

• Across the Golden Gophers’ last three road games, the team averaged 60 points per game while allowing 71. Their record vs. the spread in these contests was 0-3 while going 0-3 straight-up.
• Across their last three home contests, Wisconsin has been good against the spread, posting a mark of 3-0. Their overall mark in these games was 2-1 while averaging 79 points per game.
• As the betting underdog, the Golden Gophers have an ATS mark of just 1-4 in their last five games. Minnesota posted a straight-up mark of 0-5 in these matchups.
• The Badgers have played well in their last three games as the betting favorite, going 3-0 straight up and 2-1 against the spread.

Joe’s Pick To Cover The Spread

This number (-13.5) seems like a big line for a Big 10 matchup, but this Wisconsin squad is a different team than what we are used to. This year’s Badgers team has the ability to put up a lot of points. And given that they are facing a weak Minnesota defense, I think Wisconsin can score enough to cover this number. In a smaller slate of CBB games on Friday, I like Wisconsin to cover as one of my best bets.