North Dakota Fighting Hawks vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Prediction, 12/4/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: North Dakota Fighting Hawks vs Minnesota Golden Gophers

Date: Friday, December 4, 2020

Location: Williams Arena in Minneapolis, MN

TV: Big Ten Network

Odds/Point Spread: North Dakota (+20.5)

The Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-0) host the North Dakota Fighting Hawks (0-2) at Williams Arena on Friday. North Dakota opens this matchup as 20.5-point underdogs. The O/U has been set at 150.

North Dakota comes into this contest with a mark of 0-2 on the year. They are averaging 70.0 points per game (184th in D-1) while going 43.5% from the field. The Fighting Hawks are shooting 30.4% on shots beyond the perimeter (14 of 46) and 65.3% from the free throw line. As a unit, North Dakota is pulling down 35.5 boards per game and is sitting with 20 assists so far this year, which ranks 226th in D-1 in terms of passing. They are turning it over 17.5 times per game and as a basketball team they are committing 22.5 fouls per game. When they are on the defensive end, the Fighting Hawks are forcing their opponents into 12.0 turnovers per game and they draw 24.5 fouls. They are ranked 69th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 21 surrendered this year. The Fighting Hawks defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 48.3% (56 of 116) and they surrender 34.5 boards per contest as a unit. They are surrendering 25.0% from 3-point land and they are 216th in D-1 in points per game allowed (77.5).

The North Dakota Fighting Hawks stepped onto the hardwood against the Dixie State Trailblazers and took a loss by a final of 74-73 in their last contest. North Dakota walked away from the contest having earned a 48.1% field goal percentage (26 out of 54) and knocked down 7 of their 19 3-point shots. When shot from the charity stripe, the Fighting Hawks made 14 of 25 shots for a percentage of 56.0%. In the matter of hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 35 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 12 assists in the matchup as well as having 6 steals and 2 blocked shots. Regarding defense, North Dakota allowed their opponent to shoot 48.1% from the floor on 26 of 54. Dixie State distributed 11 dimes and 2 steals in this game. Furthurmore, the Trailblazers collected 33 rebounds (11 offensive, 22 defensive) and had 2 rejections. Dixie State shot 70.4% from the free throw line by burying 19 of 27 attempts. They also buried 1 of 10 attempts from distance.

Tyree Ihenacho is someone who was a factor for this game. He ended up scoring 9 points on 1 out of 5 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 33 mins and snagged 8 rebounds. Ihenacho ended up shooting 20.0% from the field and also recorded 3 assists. One more player that saw a lot of action in the matchup for the Fighting Hawks was Mitchell Sueker. He collected 8 rebounds and totaled 2 assists. He finished the game at 57.1% from the field for this contest via 8-of-14 (19 points). When the final whistle was blown, Sueker saw the court for 32 minutes.

Minnesota has a mark of 3-0 so far this season. The Golden Gophers are responsible for committing 21.0 personal fouls every game and they connect on 74.4% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 17.0 times per contest (56th in the nation) and they lose possession via turnover 11.3 times per game. Minnesota has tallied 254 pts for the year (84.7 per game) and they collect 39.7 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Golden Gophers are shooting 43.9% from the field, which ranks them 215th in Division 1. The Golden Gophers on the defensive end are ranked 125th in college basketball in PPG allowed with 68.7. They have given up 10.3 dimes and 39.0 rebounds every game, which ranks 70th and 211th in the country. The Minnesota defense allows 25.9% from downtown (14 of 54) and their opponents are connecting on 76.7% of their free throw attempts. They are forcing their opponents into 19.7 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 38.2% from the floor (68th in college basketball).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Minnesota Golden Gophers got the victory with a final of 67-64 against the Loyola Marymount Lions. The Golden Gophers were able to collect 19 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards for a total of 26 for the game. They also rejected 4 shots while earning 7 steals in this matchup. The Lions were called for 24 personal fouls in the game which got the Golden Gophers to the charity stripe for 24 shots. They were able to convert 17 of those for a clip of 70.8%. When it comes to 3-pointers, Minnesota buried 4 out of their 16 attempts (25.0%). Overall, the Golden Gophers shot 23 for 54 from the field which gave them a rate of 42.6%. The Golden Gophers allowed the Lions to bury 18 of their 53 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 34.0% for this contest. They went 23.8% from three-point range by going 5 out of 21 and finished the game at 23 of 32 from the charity stripe (71.9%). When it comes to rebounds, Minnesota allowed Loyola Marymount to snag 38 in all (13 offensive).

Marcus Carr was important for the Golden Gophers in this game. He converted 9 of 16 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 56.3%, which earned him 26 points. Carr collected 7 boards in his 36 mins played and added 3 assists for the contest. Someone else that ended up being a major factor for Minnesota was Both Gach. He was able to score 10 points in his 34 minutes on the court by way of 4 out of 8 from the floor in this game. Gach wrapped this one up going 50.0% from the field while collecting 4 dimes and 3 total rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take North Dakota (+20.5)

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