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College Basketball

Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Wisconsin Badgers Predictions, Picks, Odds

Michael Crosson
Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert
5 minute read

The Big Ten Network’s featured matchup this Sunday afternoon sends the Minnesota Golden Gophers on the road to Madison to face the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers. Tip-off from Kohl Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. (ET).

SCORE PREDICTION

Wisconsin 78, Minnesota 63

BEST BETS

Wisconsin -11.5 (-110) at DraftKings

MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS VS. WISCONSIN BADGERS PREDICTIONS

The Golden Gophers fell to 2-6 straight-up in the Big Ten with Thursday’s 11-point loss to Ohio State as 5.5-point home underdogs. Things only get tougher on Sunday playing a road game against the team at the top of the conference standings. Minnesota only has one SU victory in its last six games and that came against Rutgers at home as a 4.5-point underdog.

Wisconsin moved to 7-2 SU in Big Ten play with Thursday’s eight-point road win over Nebraska as nine-point favorites. This ties the Badgers with Illinois for first place. The two setbacks in conference play came against Ohio State on the road in early December and against Michigan State at home on Jan. 21. Wisconsin is 16-3 SU overall after winning just about every game it was expected to.

The question in this matchup is can Minnesota keep things close enough to cover? I am betting on no given each team’s current playing form. The gap between the Golden Gophers and their bitter rivals remains rather wide and I do not see Wisconsin taking its foot off the gas given just how tight the race for the regular season title is right now.

MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS VS. WISCONSIN BADGERS BETTING ODDS

  • Wisconsin -720
  • Minnesota +500
  • Wisconsin -11.5 (-110)
  • Minnesota +11.5 (-110)
  • Over 136.5 (-110)
  • Under 136.5 (-110)

More Odds | Futures Odds

MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS VS. WISCONSIN BADGERS BETTING RESOURCES

  • Matchup: Big 10
  • Date: Sunday, January 30, 2022
  • Venue: Kohl Center
  • Location: Madison, Wisconsin
  • TV-Time: BTN - 1:00 p.m. ET

MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 11-6
  • ATS: 8-8-1
  • O/U: 11-6

Going back to an early season loss to Michigan State, Minnesota has four SU wins against six losses in 10 games. Of more concern for Sunday is the 3-7 record against the spread in that same span. Over the last five SU losses, it has dropped four of those games by double figures. The total has gone OVER in the last five contests and in nine of the last 11 games.

Forward Jamison Battle is the Golden Gophers’ top scorer this season with 17.8 points per game. Guard Payton Willis is a close second with 16.2 points and be also leads the team in assists (4.1) and steals (1.7). He is shooting 48.8% from the field and 36.8% from three-point range.

Guard EJ Stephens is the third player on this roster scoring in double figures with 11.6 PPG. He is shooting 45.1% from the field. One injury note for Sunday is forward Eric Curry. He has missed his last few games with a bad ankle and he remains questionable on the latest report. Curry is averaging 8.7 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds a game.

Minnesota has averaged 69.2 points this season while shooting 45.7% from the field and 35.5% from three-point range. One glaring team weakness is under the boards with an average of 31.8 rebounds a game. The absence of Curry does not help the situation. Opposing teams are scoring an average of 66.8 PPG on this defense.

WISCONSIN BADGERS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 16-3
  • ATS: 12-7
  • O/U: 13-6

Wisconsin has failed to cover in its last two games after going a perfect 5-0 ATS in its previous five outings. The Badgers are 11-5 ATS over their last 16 games. The total stayed UNDER 145.5 points in Thursday’s 73-65 win at Nebraska after going OVER in the previous eight games.

Right across the board, Johnny Davis has been the big story for Wisconsin this season. He leads the team in points (21.7), rebounds (7.5) and assists (2.6) while averaging 34.9 minutes a game. He is shooting 43.7% from the field and 36% from three-point range.

Wisconsin’s supporting cast includes guard Brad Davison with 15.7 points a game and forward Tyler Wahl with another 10.6 points and 5.9 rebounds. Forward Steven Crowl has been a key contributor with nine points and 4.6 rebounds a game.

This adds up to a scoring average of 72.7 points and 35.8 rebounds a game. The Badgers are shooting 42.2% from the field. This rate drops to 32.9% from three-point range and jumps to 75.5% from the free throw line. Defensively, Wisconsin is allowing a matching average of 66.8 PPG.

Wisconsin has failed to cover the spread in two straight games. (AP)

INSIDE THE STATS - MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS

  • Record: 11-6
  • VI Ranking: 43
  • PS/G: 69.2 (238th)
  • PA/G: 66.8 (126th)
  • ORtg: 103.9 (157th)
  • DRtg: 100.2 (217th)

INSIDE THE STATS - WISCONSIN BADGERS

  • Record: 16-3
  • VI Ranking: 10
  • PS/G: 72.7 (159th)
  • PA/G: 66.8 (127th)
  • ORtg: 107 (96th)
  • DRtg: 98.2 (167th)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

  • MINN: Jamison Battle - F (17.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
  • MINN: Payton Willis - G (16.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
  • WIS: Johnny Davis - G (21.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg)
  • WIS: Brad Davison - G (15.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg)

MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS VS. WISCONSIN BADGERS BETTING CONCLUSION

Minnesota finds itself in a tough situation to get a much needed win. The Gophers should be able to keep things close into the second half, but I have Wisconsin pulling away on the scoreboard down the stretch.

The Badgers have won 11 of the last 13 meetings SU with the slight 7-6 edge ATS. The total has stayed UNDER is six of the last seven games between the two.

MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS VS. WISCONSIN BADGERS BETTING TRENDS

  • Wisconsin has failed to cover the spread in two straight games. 
  • Wisconsin has gone OVER the point total in eight of its last nine games.
  • Minnesota has covered the spread in three of its last five road games.
  • Minnesota has gone OVER the point total in five straight games.

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Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson
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