Minnesota Golden Gophers (21) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (6) CBB Betting Odds, Picks, and Predictions

The 9-1 Minnesota Golden Gophers will go on the road Thursday night to face off with the 8-2 Wisconsin Badgers at 4:30 PM ET at the Kohl Center. The Badgers come in as 7.5-point favorites and we’re expecting plenty of points with a 143.5 over/under. You can tune into the matchup on the Big Ten Network. Let’s dive into how this game will go down and who will end up covering the spread. Make sure to check out the rest of our CBB Picks and Predictions as we will have every big game covered.

• Golden Gophers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games following three or more consecutive home games.
• Badgers are 4-1-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS loss.
• Over is 4-0 in Golden Gophers last 4 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
• Over is 4-0 in Badgers last 4 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.

The Gophers sole loss of the season came to an experienced Illinois team that is as good as anyone in the country. They’ve taken down two ranked opponents in a row with a seven-point victory over Iowa and a 25-point blowout over Michigan State. This team seems to get better and better every time they take the floor and it all starts with PG Marcus Carr. He’s one of the best players in the entire country and is up to 24 points per game on top of 6.1 assists and 3. rebounds. He plays 36 minutes per game and is always a threat to stay on the floor for the entire game when it’s competitive.

Carr might be one of the best guards in the country, but he still has help behind him. Seven-foot C Liam Robbins is the second-leading scorer at 13.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game. He’s a game-changer in the paint against anyone. Both Gach and Gabe Kalscheur average right around 10 points per game with Gach assisting on 3.5 scores as well. This is a well-balanced team with a bonafide superstar and they’ve proven the ability to beat any team in the country.

The Badgers have their own pair of quality victories against Louisville and Michigan State, though they do have two losses to their resume as well. The Badgers are an experienced squad led by senior PG D’Mitrik Trice, who’s up 14.2 points per game with 3.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists. He’s joined by do-it-all guard Brad Davidson, who’s seemingly been at Wisconsin forever. He’s an excellent defender and always a threat from three.

Down low, 6’10 senior Micah Potter is averaging 12.2 points and 6.9 rebounds a night. He’s going to matchup with Liam Robbins and the winner of that matchup will give their team a huge step up. Nate Reuvers and Aleem Ford are also over 10 points per contest and can go over 20 if too much attention is paid to Potter and Trice. Wisconsin might not have as much firepower as Minnesota, but they play better defense and don’t turn the ball over nearly as much.

While Wisconsin might be the more experienced and well-rounded team, I’m not sure it’s by much. Marcus Carr will be the best player on the floor and Minnesota has the surrounding pieces to slow down Wisconsin. The Badgers struggle from three and Minnesota can turn up the heat in a hurry. While I do expect Wisconsin to walk away with a win, it won’t come easy and 7.5 points are certainly too many. Give me the Golden Gophers to stay hot and keep this game close. 

This is a pretty tough number and I don’t have a super strong lean on either side. With that being said, these are two elite offenses and the over is the only smart bet to make. Both offenses rank top 50 in the country for FT%, assists, and AST:TO ratio. Wisconsin averages 85 points per night and I expect the Badgers to more so join their pace than the other way around. This is a tough total to peg, but I will lean the over and put my real money on the Gophers ATS.