Michigan Wolverines vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/16/2025

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Thursday, January 16, 2025

Venue:  Williams Arena, Minneapolis, MN

Where to Watch:  Fox Sports 1

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Michigan -10.5, Minnesota +10.5; Over/Under:  143.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Michigan -10.5, Minnesota +10.5; Over/Under:  143.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Michigan -10.5, Minnesota +10.5; Over/Under:  143.5 points

Michigan Wolverines:  13-3 (5-0) (2nd place, Big Ten)

Minnesota Golden Gophers:  8-9 (0-6) (18th place, Big Ten)

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Michigan Wolverines:  5-0  last 5

Minnesota Golden Gophers:  1-4  last 5

Michigan is entering this game with a 13-3 record overall, a 5-0 record in conference games, and they are 3-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Washington Huskies in their last game. Vladislav Goldin led the team in points per game in that game with 19 while Nimari Burnett was next on the team with 16. Tre Donaldson led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Daniel Wolf led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 52.7% from the field, 37.9% from 3-point range, and 68.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 85.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68.1 PPG against them. Michigan has an ATS record of 11-5 this season and their O/U record is 9-7.

Minnesota is entering this game with an 8-9 record overall, a 0-6 conference record, and they are 8-4 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Maryland Terrapins in their last game. Dawson Garcia led the team in points in that game with 21 while Lu'Cye Patterson and Isaac Asuma each were next on the team with 15. Parker Fox led the team in assists with 4 in that game while Femi Odukale led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 41.5% from the field, 47.1% from 3-point range, and 82.6% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 68.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68.1 PPG against them. Minnesota has an ATS record of 3-12-2 this season and their O/U record is 8-9.

The current betting odds have Michigan listed as a 10.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Michigan has looked great in their games this season with their 13-3 record overall and their 5-0 conference record which has them right near the top of the Big Ten. They have looked good in their road games so far with their 3-0 road record and they have been rolling teams over in these games, winning a lot of them by double digits. Meanwhile, Minnesota has looked terrible in their games this season with their 8-9 record overall and their 0-6 conference record which has them right at the bottom of the Big Ten. They have looked better on their home court this year with their 8-4 home record, but 4 home losses this early in the season isn't a good look for them. They are coming off a loss to Maryland in their last one and have played in some tight games, but they continue to fall short of the mark and now they have to play one of the best teams in the conference. Michigan has a ton of momentum on their side right now with 5 wins in a row and a lot of those games haven't been close. They are at the top of the Big Ten right now, but they look like one of the best teams in the nation and will be looking to prove that they are. Minnesota won't be able to compete with the talent that Michigan has, this is not the team for Minnesota to be facing right now with the way they have started their conference schedule. The best way to place a bet here is on Michigan to cover the spread in this game. 

Michigan Minnesota Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, January 16, 2025 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Michigan 87 Minnesota 67.

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Michigan Wolverines: 13-20 ATS when the total is 140 to 149.5. 2-10 ATS after 3 or more consecutive overs. 2-7 ATS when playing against a team with a losing record. 7-2 OVER after successfully covering the spread in 3 or more consecutive games. 6-3 OVER in a road game where the total is 140 to 149.5. 13-5 OVER off a win against a conference rival.

Minnesota Golden Gophers: 11-5 ATS versus good 3 point shooting teams - making 37% of their attempts or more. 28-20 ATS versus poor pressure defensive teams - forcing 14 turnovers/game or less. 13-6 OVER off a road loss. 12-6 OVER off a road loss against a conference rival. 15-8 OVER after playing a road game.

Michigan Wolverines:  None.

Minnesota Golden Gophers:  None.

“We think it’s better for college basketball when we’re both sitting at the top of the standings. As long as we’re up there, we don’t really care where the Spartans are. But I think it adds more interest to the game. It’s good for the state of basketball in Michigan. It’s good for the young players to come to games where there’s such an environment. All those things are healthy.” - Dusty May on Michigan and Michigan State being at the top of the Big Ten.

"We know we're really close to breaking through. So now, that's got to be the singular focus and the mindset of, 'Alright what extra — what more do we have to do as a staff to help these guys? What do we have to do as a collective group to finally break through?'" - Ben Johnson on his team’s bad start in conference play.

N. Burnett 

T. Donaldson 

R. Gayle 

V. Goldin 

D. Wolf

D. Garcia 

F. Mitchell 

F. Odukale 

L. Patterson 

B. Rigsby

PPG: V. Goldin (15.4)

APG: T. Donaldson (4.3)

Reb/G: D. Wolf (10.1)

PPG: D. Garcia (18.6)

APG: L. Patterson (3.8)

Reb/G: D. Garcia (7.3)

Coaches:

Michigan Wolverines: Dusty May (1st season)

Minnesota Golden Gophers: Ben Johnson (4th season)