Bankers Life Fieldhouse will host Wildcats vs. Golden Gophers action on Thursday as both teams try to pay off for bettors in NCAAB action.

This is a conference playoff game in the Big Ten Tournament. The game is being played at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, which makes it technically a neutral site match.

This season, the Wildcats are 18-12 overall and 13-11-1 ATS ATS, while the Golden Gophers are 18-13 and 14-14 ATS against the number. As for the totals, Northwestern boasts a 15-10 on the OU, and Minnesota is 13-15.



View Minnesota vs Northwestern Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The visitors opened as 2-point underdogs in this one at most sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game puts the Wildcats, most recently No. 215 in the Odds Shark power rankings, up against the Golden Gophers, who rate No. 97 in the latest survey. Meanwhile, math and computer-based handicapping simulations run on this game predict a potential 70-69 victory for the Golden Gophers.



How They Match Up:
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and Northwestern has the nation's No. 133-rated offensive output, at 69.6 PPG. The visiting Golden Gophers defense ranks No. 94 allowing on average 64.1 PPG. The Wildcats FG% has averaged 45.6% so far, less than the Golden Gophers marksmen have achieved on the year, 46% per game.

Defensively, Minnesota features the nation's No. 103-rated defense on the road, allowing 67.5 points per game. Northwestern, meanwhile, comes in at No. 160 nationally in scoring at home.

Minnesota was an 81-69 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Nebraska. They covered the 9-point spread as favorites. Minnesota got 20 points from Chip Armelin en route to an 81-69 victory over Nebraska on Saturday at Williams Arena.

In their last action, Northwestern was a 70-66 Sportsbook on the road against Iowa. They covered the 2.5-point spread as underdogs. The Wildcats got 18 points from Drew Crawford as Northwestern ran past Iowa 70-66 on Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.


Minnesota Golden Gophers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
After playing Nebraska are 6-4
After a win are 6-4

Northwestern Wildcats Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 3-7
After playing Iowa are 3-7
After a win are 4-6

A few Golden Gophers at Wildcats trends to consider:
Northwestern is 7-2-1 ATS in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Northwestern's last 6 games
Northwestern is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota