The Big Ten Tournament continues Wednesday night with Rutgers facing Minnesota in a second round meeting at the United Center in Chicago. Both teams enter this game hoping to extend their season after inconsistent regular seasons that left them near the bottom of the conference standings. Rutgers arrives with a 13-18 overall record and has shown slight improvement late in the year, while Minnesota sits at 15-16 and has already demonstrated it can control this Rutgers vs Minnesota matchup after a convincing win over the Scarlet Knights in late February.
Pick: Rutgers +5.5 ATS PRO
Confidence: 3 out of 5
This game is a rematch from February 21, when Minnesota dominated Rutgers 80-61 behind outstanding three-point shooting. The Golden Gophers shot 57.7% from beyond the arc in that game and generated 23 assists while controlling the flow offensively.
Rutgers has shown improvement since that loss. The Scarlet Knights recently defeated Penn State 74-62 and also picked up a road win against Maryland earlier this month. However, consistency has been an issue throughout the season, particularly on offense, where Rutgers struggles to generate efficient scoring.
Minnesota has been equally unpredictable but remains the more efficient offensive team. The Gophers average just over 70 points per game while shooting 46% from the field. Their ability to move the ball and create open shots has been a major advantage compared to Rutgers, which averages fewer than 12 assists per game.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Stat | Rutgers | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
Points per game | 70.9 | 70.1 |
Points allowed per game | 75.5 | 68.4 |
Team Field Goal % | 42% | 46% |
Rebounds per game | 33.0 | 31.2 |
Assists per game | 11.9 | 17.2 |
Score Projection: Rutgers 68 – Minnesota 71 ATS PRO
Win Probability: Rutgers 35%, Minnesota 65% ATS PRO
Minnesota should win this game to advance in the Big Ten Tournament, but I'm going to take the points with Rutgers here. The Scarlet Knights played a little better toward the end of the season, and Steve Pikiell is probably coaching for his job right now. I'll bank on a one-possession game in either direction here, as I make Minnesota closer to a three-point favorite.
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