The Minnesota Golden Gophers (18-13) travel to face off against the Michigan State Spartans (18-13) on Thursday, March 14th. This game will be played at Target Center in Minneapolis and televised on BTN. Both Minnesota and Michigan State will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:00 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 7.5-point underdog, and they have gone 5-11 this season as the underdog. They have also lost their last two games, and their record now stands at 18-13.
The Golden Gophers have struggled on the road this season, going just 2-9, and they have lost their last five games away from home. On the season, they have been outscored by an average of 9.3 points per game on the road.
Minnesota has been solid against the spread this season, going 22-8-1. On the road, they have an ATS record of 7-4 and over their last 10 road games, they are 7-3 vs. the spread. As the underdog, the Golden Gophers have gone 11-5 vs. the spread this year and they are 8-2 over their last 10 games as the underdog.
Minnesota’s over/under record for the season sits at 17-14, and today’s over/under line of 135.5 is lower than the average over/under line in their games this year (144.1). In their last three games, the average scoring total is 142 points compared to their season average of 147.3 points per game. Over their previous 10 games, their over/under record is 6-4.
The Michigan State Spartans Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
Michigan State will look to bounce back from a tough loss to Indiana in their last game, a 65-64 defeat. On the season, the Spartans are 18-13, including a 15-6 record at home. They have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games at home and 3-2 in their last five.
For the year, Michigan State has been favored in 24 of their 31 games, going 16-8 in those matchups. Overall, they are 10-10 in Big Ten play, compared to an 8-3 record in non-conference action.
Michigan State has an ATS record of 17-14 this season and they are 12-9 vs. the spread at home. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Spartans are 5-5 vs. the spread.
Today’s over/under line of 135.5 is lower than the average over/under line of 141.8 in Michigan State’s games this season. Their over/under record for the year is 13-18, and their games have averaged 139.2 points. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 127 points, and their over/under record during this stretch is 1-2.
Minnesota Offense Breakdown
The Minnesota offense is coming off a game where they scored 66 points against Northwestern. They posted a field goal percentage of 49.1% and connected on 7 threes. Dawson Garcia led the scoring for the Golden Gophers, contributing 30 points. Additionally, Elijah Hawkins chipped in with 14 points.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson Garcia (F) | 17.7 | 6.6 | 1.8 |
| Cam Christie (G) | 11.3 | 3.5 | 2.2 |
| Mike Mitchell Jr. (G) | 10.5 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
Michigan State Offense Breakdown
In their recent matchup, the Michigan State offense ended with 64 points against Indiana. They finished with an overall field goal percentage of 38.5% and made 8 threes. The top scorer for the Spartans was Tyson Walker with 30 points, while A.J Hoggard also added 10 to the scoreboard.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyson Walker (G) | 18.4 | 2.9 | 3 |
| Malik Hall (F) | 12.7 | 5.7 | 2 |
| A.J Hoggard (G) | 10.9 | 3.1 | 5 |
Minnesota Team Defense
Currently, the Golden Gophers’ defense holds the 160th rank in the nation, allowing 71.6 points per game. The Minnesota defense is coming off a game in which they gave up a total of 90 points and allowed Northwestern to connect on 10 threes.
Michigan State Team Defense
In the current season, the Michigan State defense has excelled, sitting 29th in the nation by allowing 65.9 points per game. On average, opposing teams are hitting 7.5 threes per game vs. Minnesota. This has come on three-point shooting percentage of 33.0%.
Golden Gophers vs Spartans Trends
- When looking at their past ten road matchups, Minnesota has an ATS record of 7-3 while averaging 73 per game. The team went 2-8 overall in these games.
- In their last three home games, Michigan State has averaged 70 points per game while allowing 69. The team’s record in this stretch was 1-2 while going 2-1.
- Looking back on the team’s last three games as the underdog, the Golden Gophers have a straight up record of 0-3. Their record vs the spread in these games was 1-2.
- The last five games that Michigan State was favored, they have an ATS mark of 1-4 while going 2-3 straight up.
Golden Gophers vs Spartans Prediction
For a point-spread wager in this Spartans vs. Spartans game, we suggest taking the Spartans at -7.5. Even though our predictions have the Spartans winning 75-70, we see the Golden Gophers as the better choice on the point-spread.
Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 135.5, and our model predicts the Golden Gophers and Spartans to score a combined 145 points. We recommend betting on 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:March 14, 2024 Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers