The unbeaten Michigan Wolverines (9-0, 4-0 Big Ten) welcome the Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-2, 3-2 Big Ten) to town on Wednesday night in Big Ten conference play. Michigan’s last game came on Sunday, as they hosted then-#19 Northwestern and delivered an 85-66 beating. MInnesota opened Big Ten play with a 27-point loss at then-#13 Illinois. They have picked up wins over then-#4 Iowa, prevailing in overtime on Christmas Day, as well as then-#17 Michigan State (by 25) and then-#25 Ohio State (by 17). However, their road play has been much different, as they went to then-#6 Wisconsin on New Year’s Eve and lost by 12. Can Minnesota pick up a road conference win? Or will the Wolverines prevail?
We have your college basketball betting preview of this Big Ten matchup right here.
NCAAB: Minnesota at Michigan (January 6)
When: Wednesday, January 6, 2021, 8:30 pm ET
Where: Crisler Center, Ann Arbor, MI
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: No National Radio
Live Stream: ESPN+
NCAAB Odds: Michigan -7.5
Why should you bet on the Golden Gophers?
Liam Robbins has been a terrific addition for Minnesota. The big man had 27 points, 14 boards and five blocks in the Golden Gophers’ 77-60 win over Ohio State. He transferred from Drake, and the NCAA granted him immediate eligibility — and he also had four assists and two steals in that win. He had a three-inch height advantage on Ohio State’s E.J. Liddell, and he was able to do what he wanted in the post.
Marcus Carr scored 15 points from the point guard position, and Gabe Kalscheur (13), Both Cach (10) and Jamal Mashburn Jr (10) also hit double figures, as Minnesota picked up three wins in four games, all against ranked opponents. Against Ohio State, they only trailed for 18 seconds of the entire game. The most exciting part to watch, for Golden Gophers fans, is the development by Robbins, as he has so far been able to avoid the foul trouble that keeps so many of the Big Ten big men on the bench. The question as to whether Minnesota can sustain this momentum on the road, though, remains an open one.
Why should you put your money on the Wolverines?
Michigan delivered an emphatic win over Northwestern on Sunday, behind 19 points from Hunter Dickinson. Franz Wagner, Chaundee Brown and Eli Brooks all put up 14 points for the Wolverines in the win, who are now the last unbeaten team in the Big Ten. It’s a tough conference, with nine teams in the last Top 25 rankings, and the Wolverines put this game out of reach near the end of the first half, turning a 34-29 lead into a 43-29 advantage with three straight three-pointers, two from Brooks and one from Wagner.
The onslaught continued after the intermission, as Michigan jumped to leads of 58-38 and 63-40 before pulling ahead by as many as 29 points before Northwestern pulled closer in garbage time. One area in which Michigan showed some growth in this game was in defense at the arc; in their previous game, Maryland had made 13 shots from downtown, but Northwestern went just 5 of 18 from behind the three-point arc.
Final Score and Prediction
Michigan has looked solid so far this season, both at home and away, and right now they look like the top team in the Big Ten, although Iowa will certainly have something to say about that at some point. Minnesota has looked terrific at home but has not been able to have similar success away from their home arena — although home court should not be as much of a factor in the pandemic, with crowds either reduced significantly or nonexistent. I like what Minnesota has been able to accomplish so far, but I’m not sure they’re ready to pull off this level of an upset. I predict a final score of Michigan 80, Minnesota 76.
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