The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (14-10) travel to face off against the Minnesota Golden Gophers (15-9) on Sunday, February 18th. This game will be played at Williams Arena in Minneapolis and televised on BTN. Rutgers is coming off a win in their previous game, while Minnesota is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Purdue. Tip-off is set for 6:30 ET.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights Are Coming Off A Win
Coming into today’s game, Rutgers is 14-10 overall and 6-7 in Big Ten play. They have won four straight games and are 8-3 in non-conference games this season.
On the road this year, the Scarlet Knights are 3-5, and they have gone 2-1 in their last three games away from home. For the season, Rutgers has been outscored by an average of 6.6 points per game on the road.
As the underdog this season, Rutgers has gone 6-5 vs. the spread. Over their last three games as the underdog, the Scarlet Knights are 3-0 ATS and 6-4 ATS in their last 10. On the road this year, Rutgers is 4-4 vs. the spread and they have gone 2-1 ATS in their last three road contests.
This season, the over/under record for Rutgers games is 7-17, and today’s line of 131.5 is lower than the average OU line in their games (137.2). So far, 14 of their games have finished with more points than today’s OU line. In their last three games, the average scoring total is 121 points, and their OU record over their last 10 games is 3-7.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
Minnesota is favored by 3.5 points in this game. So far this season, the Golden Gophers have been favored in 11 games and have gone 10-1 in those matchups. At home, Minnesota is 13-3 this season, and they have won their last two games at home.
Overall, Minnesota is 15-9 this season, including a 6-7 record in Big Ten play. They have gone 9-2 in non-conference games. In their last game, the Golden Gophers lost to Purdue by a score of 84-76.
Minnesota has been outstanding against the spread this season, going 19-4-1. Their ATS mark at home is 13-2-1 and they have gone 9-1 in their last 10 games as the favorite. Over their last 10 home games, the Golden Gophers are an impressive 9-1 vs. the spread.
Minnesota’s over/under record for the season is 13-11 and today’s over/under line of 131.5 is lower than the average over/under line in their games this year (143.9). So far, 20 of their games have finished with more points than today’s over/under line.
Rutgers Offense Breakdown
In their latest game, Rutgers offense put up 63 points against Northwestern. They recorded an overall field goal percentage of 39.6% and made 6 threes. Jeremiah Williams led the team in scoring, putting up 15 points. Additionally, Jamichael Davis contributed 11 points for the Scarlet Knights.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aundre Hyatt (F) | 11.3 | 4.9 | 1.2 |
| Clifford Omoruyi (C) | 10.9 | 9.1 | 0.5 |
| Derek Simpson (G) | 9.2 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
Minnesota Offense Breakdown
The Golden Gophers’ offense wrapped up their last game with 76 points, aligning closely with their current season average of 76.1 points per contest. Dawson Garcia was the leading scorer for the Golden Gophers, putting up 24 points. In addition, Mike Mitchell Jr. contributed 14 points.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson Garcia (F) | 17.6 | 6.3 | 2.0 |
| Cam Christie (G) | 11.3 | 3.7 | 2.3 |
| Mike Mitchell Jr. (G) | 10.5 | 2.6 | 2.8 |
Rutgers Team Defense
So far this season, the Rutgers defense has been performing well, ranking 27th in the country at 64.8 points allowed per contest. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Rutgers’ defense has allowed opponents to shoot 39.3% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 30.6% this season.
Minnesota Team Defense
Coming into today’s game, the Minnesota defense is giving up an average of 69.2 points per contest. Against Purdue in their most recent game, the Minnesota defense gave up a total of 84 points while allowing Purdue to hit 47% of their shots.
Scarlet Knights vs Golden Gophers Trends
- In their last ten games away from home, the Scarlet Knights have a straight up record of 4-6 while going 6-4 vs. the spread. The team averaged 64 points per game in this stretch.
- Across their last five home contests, Minnesota has a 4-1 record vs the spread. Their overall mark in these games was 1-4, while averaging 74 points per game.
- The Scarlet Knights have played well in their last three games as the betting underdog, going 3-0 straight up and 3-0 against the spread.
- In their last three games as the betting favorite, the Golden Gophers have a strong straight up record of 2-1. In addition, their ATS record was 2-1 in these scenarios.
Scarlet Knights vs Golden Gophers Prediction
For today’s matchup we are recommending to take the Golden Gophers to secure the win, with an expected final score of 76-68. When it comes to the spread, we believe they’ll cover at -3.5.
As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 131.5 and our model has the Scarlet Knights and Golden Gophers 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:February 18, 2024 Minnesota Golden Gophers, Rutgers Scarlet Knights