Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, 3/9/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Saturday, March 9, 2024

Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL

TV: BTN

Welsh-Ryan Arena is where the Northwestern Wildcats (20-10) will try to defeat the Minnesota Golden Gophers (18-12) on Saturday.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers faced Indiana and ended up losing by a score of 70-58 in their last game. Concerning fouls, the Golden Gophers left the arena with 8 and Indiana accumulated 13 fouls. They also converted 5 of 8 attempts from long range. Indiana finished the game at 71.4% at the free throw line by knocking down 5 of 7 shots. Moreover, Indiana snagged 24 rebounds (3 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Indiana distributed 28 dimes and had 12 steals for this contest. In the matter of defense, Minnesota allowed the other team to go 54.5% from the floor on 30 of 55 shooting. They also distributed 12 dimes in the matchup while forcing the opposition into 14 turnovers and earning 11 steals. When talking about rebounding, they compiled 33 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. When they shot from the free throw line, the Golden Gophers made 9 of their 14 shots for a rate of 64.3%. Minnesota finished having earned a 38.6% FG percentage (22 of 57) and buried 5 of their 26 3-point attempts.

Parker Fox is someone who was important in this matchup. He ended up going 100.0% from the field but had no assists when the game ended. He played 21 minutes played and grabbed 5 boards. He recorded 14 points on 5 out of 5 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Tonight

Minnesota will play this game with a record of 18-12 for the campaign. They have an average of 76.0 pts per game (113th in college hoops) while hitting 47.1% from the floor. The Golden Gophers are connecting on 35.6% on shots from distance (241 of 677) and 69.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, Minnesota is snagging 35.6 rebounds per game and has accounted for 526 dimes so far this season, which is 13th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They are losing possession via turnover 12.0 times per contest and as a group are committing 16.4 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Golden Gophers are forcing 11.2 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.2 personal fouls. They are conceding 35.3% on 3-pointers while they are 148th in Division 1 in opponents PPG (71.0). The Golden Gophers defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 44.0% (779 of 1,772) and they concede 33.2 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They currently rank 297th in college basketball in giving up assists with 433 surrendered on the season.

In their last game, the Northwestern Wildcats took a loss by a final score of 53-49 when they played Michigan State. The Wildcats recorded 24 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards totaling 32 in this matchup. They also turned the ball over 10 times, while recording 5 steals for the game. Michigan State earned 14 personal fouls for this contest which took the Wildcats to the charity stripe for a total of 10 attempts. They were able to convert 6 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 60.0%. Regarding shots from distance, Northwestern buried 7 out of their 21 tries (33.3%). Overall, the Wildcats ended up going 18 for 51 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 35.3%. The Wildcats allowed Michigan State to make 19 of their 60 tries from the floor which had them sitting at 31.7% for the game. They finished shooting 11.8% from 3-point land by going 2 out of 17 and ended up going 13 out of 20 at the free throw line (65.0%). In relation to rebounds, Northwestern permitted Michigan State to snag 42 in all (17 offensive).

Boo Buie ended up being important for the Wildcats in the game. He buried 6 out of 13 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 46.2%, and totaled 3 rebounds. He racked up 15 points in his 39 mins of playing time and had 1 assist for this game.

Northwestern has a win-loss mark of 20-10 for the campaign. The Wildcats are committing 18.1 fouls per game and they go 74.6% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 15.6 times per contest (47th in Division 1) and they turn it over 9.0 times per game. Northwestern has 2,207 points for the season (73.6 per game) and they pull in 31.3 rebounds per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Wildcats are shooting 45.7% from the field, which is 116th in D-1.

The Northwestern defense concedes 35.3% on shots from beyond the arc (205 of 581) and opponents are converting on 72.1% of their foul shots. They give up 13.8 assists and 33.4 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks them 270th and 109th in those defensive categories. The Wildcats on the defensive end are ranked 94th in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 69.1. They are able to force 12.5 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 44.8% from the floor (248th in college basketball).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Minnesota

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here