Wisconsin vs. Minnesota Line – College Basketball February 9
Carrie Stroup here with your Wisconsin vs. Minnesota line for Thursday night’s College Basketball betting. Find all game lines at Sportsbook.com and claim up to $250 in FREE CASH based on an initial deposit.
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Minnesota -1 & 115
Opening Line & Total: Wisconsin -1 & 113
No. 21 Wisconsin brings the stingiest defense in the nation to Minnesota for a Big Ten matchup on Thursday night.
The Badgers lead the country in scoring defense at 49.8 PPG and rank second to No. 1 Kentucky in FG Pct. defense at 36.5% FG. On the offensive end, they commit the fewest turnovers in the nation (8.8 per game), but rank just 262nd in scoring (64.1 PPG) because of their slow pace. Minnesota usually plays well at home (12-2 SU), but is a mediocre 6-5 ATS with its offense struggling at times, failing to reach 70 points in six of the past 10 games. The Gophers are just 5-6 SU in Big Ten play, and Wisconsin has played great basketball outside of Madison, going 7-2 SU (6-3 ATS), including three straight SU victories. The Badgers have allowed a mere 54.0 PPG on 36.9% FG in conference road games this season.
Wisconsin has lost its past two trips to Williams Arena, including a 68-52 drubbing in its last visit in February 2010. The Badgers attempted 30 three-pointers that game (11-for-30, 37%), and made just 7-of-29 shots inside the arc (24%). Jordan Taylor, who leads the team in scoring (14.4 PPG) and assists (4.4 APG), has totaled five points on 1-of-10 shooting in his two career games at “The Barn.” But in last year’s home meeting with the Gophers, Taylor had a game-high 22 points and seven assists.
Wisconsin’s offense has been in a funk over the past three games, scoring just 53.7 PPG on 38.4% FG, including 14-of-63 threes (22.2%). Wisconsin made just 5-of-27 three-point tries in Saturday’s 58-52 home loss to Ohio State. The Badgers aren’t a very deep team, as only six players see 10+ minutes per game, and all six players log at least 25 per game. Jared Berggren (10.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.6 BPG) and Ryan Evans (10.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG) are the other double-digit scorers in addition to Taylor.
Since its 0-4 start to conference play, Minnesota has been playing much better lately, going 5-2 (SU and ATS) in its past seven games. The team is coming off a 69-61 win at Nebraska, shooting 54% FG, but only 50% FT (8-of-16). Chip Armelin (6.5 PPG) came off the bench to lead the Gophers with 15 points.
With star Trevor Mbakwe (14.0 PPG, 9.1 RPG) suffering a season-ending knee injury in the seventh game of the season, four players comprise the bulk of the scoring for the Gophers, averaging between 8.4 and 10.5 PPG. Rodney Williams leads the way in points (10.5 PPG) and rebounds (5.3 RPG), making 57% FG and 39% of his threes. But he has not been much of a factor in his past three games, averaging just 7.7 PPG and 2.0 RPG. Julian Welch (10.2 PPG, team-high 2.7 APG) makes 45% of his three-point attempts, going 6-for-8 over the past two games. Austin Hollins (8.5 PPG) and Ralph Sampson III (8.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG) have both been money from the foul line, shooting 87% and 88% respectively this season.
COLORADO BUFFALOES (16-7) at ARIZONA WILDCATS (16-8)
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Arizona -7 & 132.5
Opening Line & Total: Wildcats -7.5 & 129.5
Two teams that might only have outside shots for at-large berths to the big dance will look to build their resume when Colorado and Arizona take the floor for some Pac-12 action.
When these two teams met earlier in the season, the Buffaloes prevailed by one point, but did not cover the two-point spread for an ATS loss. Arizona has been dominant as an away team this season (7-0 ATS) but mediocre at the McKale Center (5-7 ATS) where this game is being played. The Buffaloes have been similarly strong away from their home, going 4-2 ATS in away games so far this season. Ultimately, this matchup may rest on the performance between each team’s top rebounder. At 6-foot-7, Andre Roberson (11.3 PPG, 11.2 RPG) averages a double-double for Colorado while the 6-foot-6 Solomon Hill (12.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG) paces the Wildcats. Hill, however, is averaging just 8.0 PPG and 5.0 RPG in the team’s past two contests.
At 70.2 PPG, Colorado’s offense is not particularly dangerous. With four players averaging more than 10 PPG, they do not have one dominant scoring threat, but four guys who produce night-in and night-out. Carlon Brown leads that crew (13.0 PPG) and has nice size for a guard at 6-foot-5. Austin Dufault (11.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG) stands at 6-foot-9, but is not the rebounder he could be. He makes up for it with his efficiency on the offensive end, where he shoots 52.2% from the field. Roberson and Spencer Dinwiddie round out that foursome, with Dinwiddie knocking down 45% of his three-pointers.
Arizona’s offense is slightly worse (69.6 PPG), while its defense is slightly better, holding opponents to 61.9 PPG compared to 62.6 for Colorado. They have four significant contributors on offense, paced by Kyle Fogg (12.5 PPG) who is deadly from beyond the arc, hitting his 2.1 threes per game on a 43% clip. Fogg has been red-hot in his past four games, averaging 16.0 PPG on 54% FG. Solomon Hill and Jesse Perry (11.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG) will lead the battle in the post for this Wildcats squad, needing to keep an eye on Roberson on every possession. Six-foot-2 freshman guard Nick Johnson (9.2 PPG) also has the potential to be a dangerous scorer when given the right opportunities.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
