Wisconsin Badgers vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers Odds

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Wisconsin (-1)
Game Total Line: (114)
(wagering lines available at Topbet)

The Wisconsin Badgers will look to stay near the top in the Big Ten standings when they square-off against the surprising Minnesota Golden Gophers this Thursday night at Williams Arena. Game time is set for 7 p.m. (ET) and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Wisconsin was rolling along with a six-game winning streak until it ran into Ohio State last Saturday. The result was a 58-52 loss as a 3.5-point home underdog. The Badgers are now 18-6 straight-up on the year and 12-9 against the spread. They have been a solid road team this season with a 7-2 record SU and a 6-3 record ATS. The total has gone 4-5 in the nine games.

While Wisconsin is only averaging 64.1 points a game and shooting just 42.9 percent from the field, it remains one of the top defensive teams in the nation; holding its opponents to just 49.8 points a game. This has been the Badgers strength all season long and remains the trend as they have given-up more than 60 points just twice in their last eight games.

Minnesota is just 2-2 SU in its last four games including losses to Michigan State and Iowa. It is coming off a 69-61 victory over Nebraska this past Sunday as a one-point road underdog. It is now 17-7 SU overall, but just 5-6 SU in conference play. The Golden Gophers are 11-9-1 ATS overall and the total has gone an even 10-10-1. They are 12-2 SU at home this season and 6-4-1 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in seven of their 11 home games. The Gophers are averaging 69.2 points a game and shooting 47.5 percent from the field, but they are ranked in the bottom-third of Division I in rebounds with an average of only 34.2 a game. Defensively, Minnesota is giving-up an average of 63.3 points a game. The Badgers are 2-4 ATS in their last six games and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games in the Big Ten. The total has stayed ‘under’ in 15 of their last 22 games overall. The Golden Gophers are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS win, but 5-2 ATS in their last seven games in the conference. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of their last six games following an ATS win and in three of their last five games overall. Head-to-head in this series, Wisconsin is 1-4 both SU and ATS in the last five meetings and the total has stayed ‘under’ in four of the last six games. This time around will undoubtedly be a low-scoring affair that should stay close until the end.

Spread Betting Pick

Look for Wisconsin to grind-out the win and cover the one point.
Take Wisconsin -1 at 5Dimes and get reduced juice.