Wisconsin vs Minnesota Betting Odds – Badgers’ shooters the key to win at Minnesota

Wisconsin could be a solid online betting darkhorse in the NCAA Tournament due to their experienced backcourt, even though they’re missing their big man in the middle. The Badgers will face a tricky trip to Minnesota on Thursday, and the Golden Gophers have had a lot of trouble guarding the perimeter, which plays right to Wisconsin’s hands.

The Storyline: Wisconsin vs Minnesota Betting Odds
The No.14 Badgers (19-6, 9-4) bounced back from a loss against Illinois to rout Indiana 83-55 on Saturday, and Wisconsin is gaining a reputation as an efficient team that doesn’t make many mistakes. The Golden Gophers (14-10, 5-7) have dropped three of their last four, including a 77-74 overtime loss at Northwestern on Valentine’s Day. Minnesota is very good at “The Barn”, and they’ll be out to cause a blow to the Badgers’ seeding hopes in the NCAA Tournament.

Offensive Matchups: Wisconsin vs Minnesota Betting Odds
The Badgers definitely are not an offensive juggernaut, coming in 199th in points scored. But they shoot a decent percentage at 44.9%, they’re second in the country in turnovers, and they’re 34th in free-throw percentage. Jason Bohannon went off for 30 points against the Hoosiers, nailing seven three-pointers, and when he gets hot, watch out.
Minnesota is sixth in the country in assists, and they rank 17th in three-point percentage, but they are a perimeter-based offense with no presence in the post outside of Ralph Sampson III. Lawrence Westbrook led the way with 22 points against Northwestern, but the Minnesota offense stumbled in the second half as they lost a 13-point lead.

Betting Edge: Wisconsin

Defensive Matchups: Wisconsin vs Minnesota Betting Odds
Wisconsin’s sportsbook odds are related to their defense, and the Badgers are fifth in the nation in points allowed. They don’t gamble on blocks and steals often, but Wisconsin is very disciplined defensively, playing tough without committing many fouls. The Badgers are still even rebounding well since the injury to Jon Leuer, but you have to wonder how far Wisconsin can go without their big man.
The Golden Gophers rank 14th nationally in both steals and blocks, but they have problems out on the perimeter, where the opposition is hitting 34.7% of their three-point attempts. Northwestern was 13-of-36 against the Golden Gophers from beyond the arc, which means Bohannon could be in line for another big game.

Betting Edge: Wisconsin

Coaching Matchup: Wisconsin vs Minnesota Betting Odds
Bo Ryan has led the Badgers to eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances, but last year’s 20-13 season left a bad taste in his mouth. Ryan knows his team’s limitations and creates gameplans to focus on their strengths, which is the backcourt duo of Bohannon and Tre’Von Hughes.
Tubby Smith won the national title in his first year at Kentucky in 1998, and after a year in the NIT, Smith got the Golden Gophers back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005. Like Ryan, Smith coaches Minnesota within their limits, but he has even less talent to work with.

Betting Edge: Draw

Betting Prediction: Wisconsin vs Minnesota Betting Odds
The Badgers should be favored on the road, where they are 3-4, but they’ve won six of their last 10 trips to “The Barn”, where Minnesota is 11-2. Wisconsin will look to their senior duo of Bohannon and Hughes in the backcourt, and unless the Golden Gophers have taken a class in perimeter defense since the Northwestern game, Wisconsin should have enough in the tank to keep pace in the Big Ten.

Washington’s Pick: Wisconsin

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