Northwestern Wildcats vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Prediction, 3/7/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northwestern Wildcats vs Minnesota Golden Gophers

Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026

Location: Williams Arena in Minneapolis, MN

TV: ESPN+

The Minnesota Golden Gophers (14-16) will try to beat the Northwestern Wildcats (13-17) at Williams Arena on Saturday.

The Northwestern Wildcats faced off with Purdue and took a loss by a score of 70-66 in their last game. Northwestern ended having earned a 51.1% field goal percentage (24 out of 47) and made 7 out of their 16 3-point shots. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Wildcats made 11 of 12 tries for a percentage of 91.7%. In the matter of getting rebounds, they collected 15 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 14 assists in the matchup while forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and having 7 steals. With regard to the defense, Northwestern allowed the other team to shoot 53.1% from the field on 26 of 49 shooting. Purdue earned 22 assists and had 2 steals for the game. In addition, Purdue grabbed 27 rebounds (8 offensive, 19 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Purdue finished the contest at 81.8% from the charity stripe by burying 9 of 11 shots. They converted 9 out of their 24 attempts from downtown. Regarding fouls, the Wildcats finished with 14 while Purdue had 13 fouls.

Nick Martinelli is one player who had an impact in the matchup. He notched 28 points on 9 of 19 shooting. He played 38 minutes and also pulled down 1 board. He finished 47.4% from the field and also distributed 3 dimes.

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Northwestern steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss record of 13-17 this season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 8.6 times per game and as a team they are committing 17.3 fouls per contest. As a unit, Northwestern is pulling down 31.0 boards per contest and has 510 dimes for the campaign, which ranks 40th in college in terms of passing the ball. The Wildcats are connecting on 32.6% on shots beyond the perimeter (190 of 583) and 74.9% from the free throw line. They have an average of 73.4 pts per contest (250th in college) while connecting on 45.8% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Wildcats are forcing their opponents into 11.5 turnovers per game while drawing 16.7 fouls. They are 317th in college in giving up assists with 472 relinquished so far this year. The Wildcats defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 43.6% (750 of 1,719) and they surrender 35.5 rebounds per contest as a unit. They give up 33.0% on shots from downtown and they are 137th in D-1 in points per game allowed (72.4).

In their last game, the Minnesota Golden Gophers went home defeated by a final of 77-47 when they faced Indiana. The Golden Gophers were able to pull down 16 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 22 for this game. They also coughed up the ball 10 times, while getting 4 steals in the game. Indiana committed 15 fouls in this game which got the Golden Gophers to the charity stripe for 12 tries. They were able to make 8 of the free throws for a rate of 66.7%. When it comes to 3-point shots, Minnesota made 5 out of 21 tries (23.8%). When all was said and done, the Golden Gophers ended up shooting 17 out of 53 from the field which gave them a rate of 32.1%. The Golden Gophers allowed Indiana to make 31 of their 54 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 57.4% in the game. They shot 41.7% from distance by shooting 10 out of 24 and ended up shooting 5 out of 8 from the free throw line (62.5%). In relation to team rebounding, Minnesota allowed Indiana to get 36 in total (7 on the offensive side).

Cade Tyson ended up being important for the Golden Gophers for the game. He converted 7 out of 14 for the contest for a rate of 50.0%, and had 2 rebounds. He scored 21 points in his 38 mins on the court, but wasn't able to earn an assist.

Minnesota has a record of 14-16 on the season. The Golden Gophers commit 14.7 fouls per game while shooting 69.7% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 17.2 times per game (26th in D-1) and they lose possession via turnover 10.5 times per contest. Minnesota has totaled 2,107 points this year (70.2 per contest) and they pull in 31.4 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Golden Gophers are shooting 45.6% from the field, which ranks 162nd in college.

The Minnesota defense surrenders 34.4% on 3-pointers (239 of 694) and their opponents are connecting on 72.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 14.9 dimes and 32.7 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 287th and 73rd in Division 1. The Golden Gophers on the defensive side of the court are 51st in college hoops in PPG given up with 68.5. They have forced 11.0 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 44.6% from the floor (210th in college).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Minnesota

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