The Northwestern Wildcats host Minnesota on Thursday, looking to build on their 17-12 mark against the 17-13 Golden Gophers in college hoops action at Conseco Fieldhouse.

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

This season, the Wildcats are 17-12 overall and 11-12 ATS ATS, while the Golden Gophers are 17-13 and 9-18 ATS against the number. As for the totals, Northwestern boasts a 14-9 on the OU, and Minnesota is 13-14.



View Minnesota vs Northwestern Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Golden Gophers are listed as 1-point underdogs at many online sportsbooks.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Power Rankings at Odds Shark show No. 59-rated Minnesota taking on the No. 229-rated Wildcats in this contest. The scores prediction computer here indicates a possible 73-71 win for the Wildcats on Thursday.



How They Match Up:
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting Golden Gophers rank No. 37 in NCAA Division 1 with 38 per game. That compares with Northwestern’s No. 336 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Northwestern is college basketball's No. 4-ranked team at 9.2 per game, while the Golden Gophers rate No. 304 with 4.9 per game.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Minnesota owns the country's No. 62-rated mark, allowing 66 points per game on the highway. Northwestern, on the other hand, rates No. 162 in scoring at home.

Minnesota lost its last outing, a 66-63 result against Penn State on March 6. They failed to cover in that game as a 5-point favorite. Blake Hoffarber scored 17 points in a futile effort to lead the Golden Gophers to a win (they lost 66-63 to Penn State at Williams Arena on Sunday).

Last time out for Northwestern, they were a 68-57 Sportsbook as they battled Minnesota at home. They covered in the match as a 3.5-point favorite. Northwestern earned a 68-57 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday, getting 18 points from Michael Thompson at Welsh-Ryan Arena.


Minnesota Golden Gophers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
After playing Penn State are 5-5
After a loss are 3-7

Northwestern Wildcats Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
After playing Minnesota are 2-8
After a win are 4-6

A few Golden Gophers at Wildcats trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Northwestern's last 6 games
Northwestern is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing Minnesota
Northwestern is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games