Michigan State Spartans vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Prediction, 2/4/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Michigan State Spartans vs Minnesota Golden Gophers

Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Location: Williams Arena in Minneapolis, MN

TV: ESPN+

Williams Arena is where the Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-12) will try to beat the Michigan State Spartans (19-3) on Wednesday.

The Michigan State Spartans faced off with Michigan and ended up losing by a score of 83-71 in their last contest. When it comes to fouls, the Spartans ended up with 22 and Michigan had 21 fouls. They converted 8 out of their 21 attempts from downtown. Michigan finished the game at 88.5% from the free throw line by converting 23 of 26 shots. Furthermore, Michigan snagged 30 rebounds (8 offensive, 22 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Michigan earned 14 dimes and had 2 steals for this contest. In regard to the defense, Michigan State allowed 44.1% from the field on 26 out of 59 shooting. They also recorded 14 assists in the game while forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and getting 7 steals. In reference to hauling in rebounds, they collected 32 with 13 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Spartans buried 23 of their 27 tries for a percentage of 85.2%. Michigan State ended the game having earned a 36.7% field goal percentage (22 out of 60) and knocked down 4 out of their 23 3-point shots.

Jeremy Fears Jr. is one guy who was a major factor for this contest. He walked away with 31 points on 9 out of 20 shooting. He saw the court for 35 minutes and also pulled down 5 rebounds. He finished 45.0% from the floor and also dished out 7 assists.

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Michigan State will play this game with a win-loss mark of 19-3 on the campaign. They have an average of 79.1 points per outing (122nd in the nation) on 47.4% from the floor. The Spartans are connecting on 35.0% on 3-pointers (164 of 469) and 74.5% from the charity stripe. As a team, Michigan State is pulling down 41.2 rebounds per game and has 410 dimes for the season, which is 15th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They are giving up possession 12.3 times per game and as a team they commit 15.7 personal fouls per game.

When they are on defense, the Spartans have forced 11.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.0 fouls. They give up 30.4% on 3-point shots while they are 12th in college in opponents PPG (64.4). The Spartans defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 39.1% (486 of 1,243) and they surrender 28.0 boards per contest as a team. They are ranked 109th in the nation in allowing assists to their opponents with 278 surrendered so far this season.

For their last game, the Minnesota Golden Gophers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 77-75 against Penn State. In relation to attacking the glass, Minnesota allowed Penn State to pull down 27 in total (4 offensive). They finished shooting 38.9% from downtown by connecting on 7 out of 18 and ended up going 8 of 9 from the charity stripe (88.9%). The Golden Gophers permitted Penn State to make 31 of 62 tries from the field which left them shooting 50.0% in this contest. When all was said and done, the Golden Gophers ended up going 27 out of 51 from the field which gave them a rate of 52.9%. In the matter of 3-pointers, Minnesota converted 7 out of 27 attempts (25.9%). They were able to make 14 of the free throw tries for a rate of 82.4%. Penn State committed 18 fouls in this matchup which got the Golden Gophers to the free throw line for a total of 17 tries. They also turned it over 12 times, while getting 7 steals for the matchup. The Golden Gophers were able to snag 23 defensive boards and 5 offensive boards for a total of 28 in this matchup.

Cade Tyson was important for the Golden Gophers for the game. He accumulated 17 points in his 28 minutes on the court and had 2 dimes for the matchup. He knocked down 3 out of 8 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 37.5%, and had 5 rebounds.

Minnesota has a win-loss record of 10-12 so far this year. The Golden Gophers are committing 16.1 fouls per game and they connect on 69.4% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 17.8 times per game (22nd in college) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.0 times per game. Minnesota has tallied 1,579 pts on the year (71.8 per contest) and they average 33.5 rebounds per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Golden Gophers are shooting 45.5% from the field, which has them ranked 163rd in the nation.

The Minnesota defense concedes 34.2% on three-point shots (176 of 514) and their opponents are knocking down 72.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 13.8 dimes and 32.9 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 218th and 84th in those categories on the defensive end. The Golden Gophers are ranked 61st in college in PPG given up with 68.8. They are forcing 11.4 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.9% from the field (132nd in Division 1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Minnesota

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