Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Cincinnati Bearcats Prediction, 11/9/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Cincinnati Bearcats

Date: Monday, November 9, 2026

Location: Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, OH

TV: ESPN+

Fifth Third Arena is the site where the Cincinnati Bearcats (2-0) will play the Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-0) on Monday.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers stepped onto the hardwood against St. Thomas and took home the win by a score of 76-62 in their last contest. In relation to personal fouls, the Golden Gophers ended up finishing with 16 and St. Thomas recorded 20 personal fouls. They converted 9 out of their 36 attempts from distance. St. Thomas finished the game shooting 72.2% from the charity stripe by making 13 of 18 shots. On top of that, St. Thomas pulled down 26 boards (8 offensive, 18 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. St. Thomas dished out 14 dimes and had 6 steals in this game. When talking about defending, Minnesota let their opponent shoot 33.9% from the field on 20 of 59 shooting. They also doled out 18 dimes for the game as well as forcing the other team into 6 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In regard to rebounding, they earned 45 with 15 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Golden Gophers made 19 of their 22 shots for a rate of 86.4%. Minnesota walked away from the game having earned a 38.3% FG percentage (23 of 60) and made 11 of their 35 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Isaac Asuma is a player who came through for the game. He accounted for 20 points on 6 out of 10 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 37 minutes played and collected 6 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 60.0% from the floor and earned 2 assists.

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Minnesota will enter this matchup with a record of 2-0 this season. They are averaging 80.5 pts per contest (182nd in college hoops) on 46.7% from the floor. The Golden Gophers are hitting 35.0% on shots from downtown (21 of 60) and 74.3% from the free throw line. As a team, Minnesota is snagging 46.5 rebounds per contest and has racked up 47 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 15th in the nation in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.0 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 18.0 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Golden Gophers are forcing 9.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.0 fouls. They are giving up 18.8% on shots from distance while they are 51st in the country in points per game allowed (56.0). The Golden Gophers defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 31.4% (37 of 118) and they relinquish 33.5 boards per contest as a team. They currently rank 190th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 22 relinquished on the season.

In their last game, the Cincinnati Bearcats walked away with a victory by a final of 81-64 against Green Bay. Regarding rebounding, Cincinnati allowed Green Bay to snag 24 overall (6 offensive). They wrapped up this game 31.8% from distance by shooting 7 of 22 and ended up going 11 out of 17 from the free throw line (64.7%). The Bearcats permitted Green Bay to make 23 out of their 48 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.9% for the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Bearcats shot 28 out of 58 from the field which gave them a percentage of 48.3%. With respect to shooting from downtown, Cincinnati buried 10 out of 31 tries (32.3%). They were able to make 15 of those for a rate of 68.2%. Green Bay was called for 17 fouls for the contest which got the Bearcats to the free throw line for a total of 22 shots. They turned the ball over 9 times, while getting 9 steals in this matchup. The Bearcats were able to pull down 16 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 28 in this game.

Myles Colvin pitched in for the Bearcats in the game. He totaled 31 points in his 34 mins of playing time, but wasn't able to earn an assist. He buried 10 out of 17 in this game giving him a rate of 58.8%, and tallied 7 rebounds.

Cincinnati has a win-loss mark of 2-0 for the campaign. On the offensive side of the court, the Bearcats are hitting on 44.9% from the field, which is ranked 197th in Division 1. Cincinnati has scored 160 points for the year and they collect 39.0 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 19.5 times per game (66th in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.0 times per contest. The Bearcats commit 18.0 personal fouls per contest and they go 70.0% from the free throw line.

The Bearcats on defense are ranked 66th in the country in PPG given up with 58.5. They are forcing their opponents into 19.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 37.3% from the field (109th in the country). The Cincinnati defense allows 27.5% on 3-point attempts (14 of 51) and their opposition makes 73.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 9.0 dimes and 28.5 rebounds per game, which is ranked 66th and 56th in college hoops.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Minnesota

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