The Minnesota Golden Gophers (12-5) travel to face off against the Michigan State Spartans (10-7) on Thursday, January 18th. This game will be played at Breslin Center in East Lansing and televised on FS1. Michigan State is coming off a win in their previous game, while Minnesota is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Iowa. Tip-off is set for 6:30 ET.
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Michigan State Spartans
The Minnesota Golden Gophers Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
Minnesota heads into this game as a 12.5-point underdog, and they are 2-4 as the underdog this season. Over their last 10 road games, the Golden Gophers are just 2-8.
So far this season, Minnesota has gone 1-3 on the road compared to 11-2 at home. They have lost two straight games, and their record in Big Ten play is 3-3.
Minnesota has been a solid bet this season, going 12-4-1 against the spread. However, their road ATS record is just 2-2 and they are 4-6 in their last 10 road games vs. the spread. As the underdog, the Golden Gophers are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games.
This season, the over/under record for Minnesota games is 8-9. So far, the average scoring total in their games is 145.8 points. Today’s over/under line of 142.5 is lower than the average over/under line in their games (143.9). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 142 points.
The Michigan State Spartans Are Coming Off A Win
Michigan State is 10-7 overall and 2-4 in Big Ten play, and they are 10-4 at home this season. Their average scoring margin at home is +15.8 points per game, and they have won six straight games at home.
So far, the Spartans have been the favorite in 13 of their 17 games, going 9-4 in those contests. In their most recent game, they defeated Rutgers by a score of 73-55.
Michigan State has been solid vs. the spread this season, going 10-7. At home, the Spartans have an ATS mark of 9-5. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, Michigan State is 7-3 vs. the spread.
Today’s over/under line of 142.5 is very close to the average over/under line in Michigan State’s games this season (142.7). So far, 10 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line. In their last three games, the over/under record is 1-2 and the average scoring total is 142 points.
Minnesota Offense Breakdown
In their recent game, the Golden Gophers’ offense concluded with 77 points, consistent with their ongoing season average of 77.8 points per contest. Dawson Garcia is leading the team in scoring at 17.4 points per contest. Joshua Ola-Joseph has also been a key contributor with a PPG average of 11 going into the game.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson Garcia (F) | 17.4 | 7.4 | 2.1 |
| Joshua Ola-Joseph (F) | 11.0 | 2.7 | 0.8 |
| Mike Mitchell Jr. (G) | 10.2 | 2.5 | 2.7 |
Michigan State Offense Breakdown
The Michigan State offense is coming off a game where they scored 73 points against Rutgers. They posted a field goal percentage of 45.5% and connected on 12 threes. Currently leading the team in scoring is Tyson Walker who comes into today’s matchup averaging 19.9. A.J Hoggard also heads into the game with a PPG average of 11.4.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyson Walker (G) | 19.9 | 2.8 | 2.9 |
| A.J Hoggard (G) | 11.4 | 3.4 | 5.1 |
| Malik Hall (F) | 10.8 | 4.7 | 2.2 |
Minnesota Team Defense
The Golden Gophers’ defense is presently ranked 85th nationally, allowing an average of 67.9 points per contest. In today’s game, the Minnesota defense will be looking to once again do a good job defending the three-point line, as they gave up just 5 three-pointers while giving up 86 points.
Michigan State Team Defense
This season, the Michigan State defense has been impressive, holding the 45th position in the country while permitting an average of 65.5 points per contest. On average, opposing teams are hitting 7.4 threes per game vs. Minnesota. This has come on three-point shooting percentage of 30.7%.
Golden Gophers vs Spartans Trends
- Across their five previous road games, Minnesota has an ATS mark of 2-3. Their straight up record in these matchups was 1-4 while averaging 64 points per game.
- When looking at their past ten home matchups, Michigan State has an ATS record of 4-6 while averaging 74 per game. The team went 3-7 overall in these games.
- Spanning across their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Golden Gophers have gone 6-4 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 4-6.
- Through their last five games as the favorite, the Spartans have an ATS record of 4-1 and a straight up mark of 4-1.
Golden Gophers vs Spartans Prediction
When looking to get a point-spread pick down in this Spartans vs. Spartans game, our recommendation is to take the Spartans at -12.5. Despite our model showing the Spartans winning 75-69, we like Golden Gophers as our point-spread pick.
As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 142.5 and our model has the Golden Gophers and Spartans finishing with a combined 144 points. Our pick is to take the over.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:January 18, 2024 Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Teams