Sunday, February 28, 2016

State Farm Center

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Minnesota Golden Gophers travel to State Farm Center to play the Illinois Fighting Illini on Sunday, February 28, 2016. The opening line for this game has Illinois as 5.5 point favorites and the over/under has been set at 144.

The Golden Gophers come into this game with an overall record of 8-19 and a road record of 0-7. They are 10-15 against the spread and their over/under record is 15-10. The Fighting Illini have an overall record of 12-16 and a home record of 6-8. They have an over/under record of 12-13 and they are 13-12 against the spread.

Nate Mason comes into this contest averaging 13.8 points per game while playing 32.9 minutes per night so far this season for the Golden Gophers. He pulls down 2.9 rebounds per game and dishes out 4.5 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 39% while his free throw percentage is currently at 80%. Joey King averages 11.6 points per game in 29.3 minutes per contest this season. He averages 1.3 assists per contest and 3.7 rebounds per game for Minnesota. His field goal percentage is 43% for the year while his free throw percentage is 89%.

Malcolm Hill averages 18.1 points per game while playing 35.2 minutes per contest this year for the Fighting Illini. He grabs 6.5 rebounds per game and has 3.4 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 43% and his free throw percentage currently is at 81%. Kendrick Nunn averages 16 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 35.1 minutes per contest. He also averages 5.1 rebounds per contest and 1.7 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 42% and his free throw percentage is 77%.

Minnesota averages 69.8 points per contest this season which ranks them 241st in the nation. Their average scoring margin is -3.9 and their shooting percentage is 41% as a team which has them ranked 289th. Behind the arc they shoot 32% which is good for 292nd in the country. They average 34.5 rebounds per game and 12.7 assists per game which ranks them 245th and 202nd in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 30th with 10.9 per game. The Golden Gophers allow 73.6 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 212th in the nation. They also allow a 44% shooting percentage and a 37% average from behind the arc ranking them 215th and 290th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 38.2 rebounds a game which ranks 292nd and they give up 15.1 assists per contest which puts them in 303rd place in the country. They force 12.3 turnovers per game which ranks them 205th in the Division 1.

Illinois averages 72.2 points per game this year which ranks them 173rd in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is -2.6 and their shooting percentage is 43% as a team which has them sitting in the 226th spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 36% which is good for 118th in the nation. They average 32.1 rebounds per game and 13.4 assists per contest which ranks them 318th and 162nd respectively. In the turnover department the Fighting Illini rank 15th with 10.3 per game. The Fighting Illini allow 74.9 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 245th in the country. They also allow a 46% shooting percentage and a 37% average from behind the arc ranking them 287th and 306th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 37.5 rebounds a game which ranks 267th and they give up 14.6 assists per contest which puts them in 272nd place in the nation. The Fighting Illini force 13.3 turnovers per game which ranks them 114th in college basketball.

The Golden Gophers average 67 points per game on the road this season and they have scored 74 ppg in their past 3 contests. They have an average scoring differential of -9.4 on the road and in their past 3 games their difference is 7.7 per contest. The Golden Gophers have an offensive rating of 100.3 and they assist on 53.8% of their shots. In terms of pace they average 68.6 possessions per 40 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 47%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 51% and they shoot 3 pointers on 35% of their shots. Minnesota turns the ball over an average of 13.9 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 8.1% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage is 47.5% while their offensive rebound percentage is 25.7%. The Golden Gophers give up 76.4 points per game on the road this season and they have surrendered 66.3 points per contest in their last 3 games.

The Fighting Illini score 72.2 ppg at home and they have averaged 63 points per contest in their last 3 games.They have an average scoring differential of -6.7 in their past 3 contests and at home this season they have a difference of -1.9 points per game. The Fighting Illini have a rating on offense of 102.3 and 53.3% of their shots are assisted. They possess the ball 69.1 times per 40 minutes and their effective field goal percentage for the year is 50%. As an offensive unit they have a true shooting percentage of 53% and they attempt 3 pointers on 39% of their shots. Illinois turns it over an average of 13.3 times per 100 possessions and they steal the ball on 7.4% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage is 46.1% while their offensive rebound percentage for the season is 21.7%. The Fighting Illini give up 74.1 points per contest at home this year and they have given up 69.7 points per game in their past 3 contests.

Minnesota Golden Gophers Betting Trends

The Minnesota Golden Gophers are 10-15 against the spread

The Minnesota Golden Gophers are 15-10 against the over/under

Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Trends

The Illinois Fighting Illini are 13-12 against the spread

The Illinois Fighting Illini are 12-13 against the over/under

Minnesota Golden Gophers Injuries

12/23/15 G Jarvis Johnson Heart out indefinitely
02/17/16 G Carlos Morris Personal dismissed from team

Illinois Fighting Illini Injuries

12/20/15 F Leron Black Knee out for season
11/14/15 G Tracy Abrams Achilles out for season
02/12/16 F Mike Thorne Jr. Knee out for season

Guy's Pick: Take Minnesota

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn