NCAA Hoops Odds: Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Penn State Nittany Lions Preview & Pick
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Minnesota Golden Gophers at Penn State Nittany Lions
Date: Thursday, February 17, 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, PA
Broadcast: ESPN
Golden Gophers vs. Nittany Lions lines from Sportsbook.com
Golden Gophers: -2.5
Nittany Lions: +2.5
Total: 127
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Two Big Ten rivals will collide on Thursday night when the Minnesota Golden Gophers visit the Penn State Nittany Lions. Both teams just ended brutal losing streaks and are fighting for a place in March Madness. Can they get some momentum going?
Minnesota (17-8, 9-13 ATS) just endured a brutal meltdown. The Golden Gophers lost four straight games, including an 0-4 run against the spread. They finally got back in the win column last weekend, beating Iowa 62-45 for a win and cover. Still, it’s hard to believe Minnesota was ranked 25th in the country last week.
Coach Tubby Smith was clearly not impressed, and he let everyone—including the media—know about it. Smith lashed out at his players after losing 71-62 to Illinois on Feb. 10, calling his players “boys” compared to last year’s “men.”
The criticism evidently paid off, as the Golden Gophers finally got some half decent defense—and a victory—in their very next game. During their four-game slide, the Gophers allowed 71.5 points per game and only held one opponent to fewer than 70 points. Minnesota held the Hawkeyes to just 34 percent shooting from the field, though, including a horrendous six-for-28 effort from beyond the three-point line.
At the other end of the floor, Trevor Mbakwe stepped up with a huge game. The junior forward scored a career-high 24 points against Iowa, including 22 in the second half. Mbakwe is enjoying a pretty solid run, as he’s scored 16 or more points in seven of his last 10 games.
Now the team just has to hope guard Blake Hoffarber’s knee is OK. Hoffarber failed to score in double figures for the first time since Jan. 16 when he scored just six against Iowa.
Penn State (13-11, 10-10 ATS) also just ended a losing streak. The Nittany Lions had dropped three in a row before topping Northwestern 65-41 on Sunday (they covered as 2.5-point favorites). Before the skid, PSU had racked up six straight wins against the spread.
The Nittany Lions are scraping by with a low-scoring offense. They averaged just 56.6 points during the losing streak, and they didn’t exactly explode with 65 against Northwestern. Certainly, Taylor Battle can’t be blamed. The senior guard was fantastic against the Wildcats despite turning his ankle two days earlier; Taylor hit seven of his nine field goal attempts—including 4-for-5 from three-point land—to finish with a game-high 19 points.
The skid coincided with the absence of Jeff Brooks. The senior forward is second on the team with 13.6 points per game this season. He went down with a shoulder injury just 18 minutes during the first loss of the losing streak and missed the next game. He’s played in back-to-back contests since then, however, and is averaging 14.5 points. Brooks needs to be a little more active on the glass, though, as he’s averaging just 3.2 rebounds over his last five games (compared to 7.0 RPG on the season).
More production off the bench would make a tremendous difference for Penn State. All five starters played at least 31 minutes against Northwestern. The bench, meanwhile, contributed just seven total points.
Minnesota has struggled, but there’s no doubt it is a better team than PSU. The Golden Gophers seem sufficiently motivated after their coach ripped them, and they should be able to take care of business, even if it is on the road.
Trends:
Over is 8-2 in MIN last 10 Thu. games.
MIN are 11-23 ATS in their last 34 road games.
PENST are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
PENST are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 vs. Big Ten.
Over is 12-2 in the last 14 meetings.
MIN are 2-7 ATS in the last 9 meetings in Penn St..
Minnesota at Penn State pick: Golden Gophers
Ian Van Den Hurk has covered amateur and pro sports for years, including a successful run handicapping anything from football to mixed martial arts.
