Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Prediction, 3/2/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Minnesota Golden Gophers

Date: Thursday, March 2, 2023

Location: Williams Arena in Minneapolis, MN

TV: ESPN+

Williams Arena is the location where the Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-20) will take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (18-11) on Thursday.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights stepped onto the hardwood against Penn State and went home with a win by a final score of 59-56 in their last game. When talking about fouls, the Scarlet Knights ended up with 15 and Penn State had 12 fouls. They made 8 of 29 shots from beyond the perimeter. Penn State finished 61.5% at the free throw line by burying 8 of their 13 shots. Additionally, Penn State grabbed 36 rebounds (9 offensive, 27 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Penn State doled out 11 dimes and had 1 steal for the game. In terms of defending, Rutgers allowed their opponent to shoot 37.0% from the floor on 20 out of 54 shooting. They also dished out 9 assists in this game in addition to creating 8 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In terms of grabbing boards, they compiled 37 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Scarlet Knights made 7 of their 11 shots for a rate of 63.6%. Rutgers wrapped up the game with a 37.7% field goal percentage (23 out of 61) and made 6 of 18 3-point shots.

Derek Simpson is a guy who had an impact in this contest. He accounted for 16 points on 6 of 14 shooting. He saw the court for 28 mins and pulled down 6 boards. He went 42.9% from the floor and also totaled 2 assists.

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Rutgers will enter this game with a mark of 18-11 so far this season. They lose possession via turnover 11.4 times per game and as a unit they are committing 15.4 fouls per contest. As a team, Rutgers is collecting 37.4 boards per game and has totaled 434 assists this year, which ranks 90th in the country in terms of passing. The Scarlet Knights are shooting 32.4% on shots from 3-point land (169 of 522) and 71.0% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 68.5 points per outing (266th in Division 1) while going 43.0% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Scarlet Knights are forcing 14.6 turnovers every game and they draw 15.9 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 78th in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 339 surrendered this season. The Scarlet Knights defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 38.8% (617 of 1,590) and they relinquish 34.4 boards per game as a team. They give up 29.8% on shots from distance while they are 7th in college basketball in points per game from their opponents (59.7).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Minnesota Golden Gophers went home defeated by a final of 78-67 against Nebraska. The Golden Gophers pulled down 27 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 35 in the game. They turned it over 19 times, while earning 5 steals in this matchup. Nebraska was called for 13 personal fouls for the game which got the Golden Gophers to the charity stripe for 11 shots. They were able to make 11 of the free throws for a rate of 100.0%. In terms of shots from beyond the arc, Minnesota made 8 out of their 24 tries (33.3%). In all, the Golden Gophers ended up going 24 out of 59 from the field which gave them a percentage of 40.7%. The Golden Gophers allowed Nebraska to convert 30 of 61 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 49.2% in this matchup. They finished 26.7% from three-point range by shooting 4 out of 15 and walked away from this one shooting 14 out of 21 at the free throw line (66.7%). With respect to how they attacked the glass, Minnesota permitted Nebraska to get 32 overall (6 offensive).

Dawson Garcia ended up being a major contributor for the Golden Gophers in this game. He knocked down 5 of 15 for this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 33.3%, and had 14 rebounds. He racked up 11 points in his 33 mins of playing time and totaled 2 assists for this contest.

Minnesota has a win-loss mark of 7-20 so far this year. In terms of offensive execution, the Golden Gophers are shooting 42.5% from the field, which is 295th in the country. Minnesota has accounted for 1,675 pts so far this season (62.0 per game) and they collect 33.5 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 14.1 times per contest (111th in the country) and they are giving up possession 12.9 times per contest. The Golden Gophers are committing 14.9 fouls per contest and they shoot 61.6% from the charity stripe.

The Minnesota defense concedes 36.0% from downtown (186 of 516) and their opponents are converting on 69.8% of their foul shots. They have given up 13.9 dimes and 36.8 rebounds every game, which ranks them 268th and 321st in the nation. The Golden Gophers are ranked 208th in the nation in points per game surrendered with 70.8. They have forced 9.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.8% from the floor (262nd in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Rutgers

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