Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Butler Bulldogs Prediction, 3/19/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Butler Bulldogs

Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN

TV: ESPNU

The Minnesota Golden Gophers (18-14) are traveling to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday where they will go up against the Butler Bulldogs (18-14) in the NIT.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers faced Michigan State and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 77-67 in their last contest. Minnesota ended the contest with a 50.0% FG percentage (24 out of 48) and converted 8 of their 22 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Golden Gophers knocked down 11 of their 19 tries for a rate of 57.9%. In the matter of grabbing rebounds, they collected 18 with 4 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 12 assists in the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and earning 6 steals. With regard to defending, Minnesota allowed their opponent to shoot 55.6% from the floor on 30 out of 54 shooting. Michigan State recorded 19 assists and had 10 steals for the matchup. Furthermore, Michigan State collected 28 rebounds (6 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Michigan State finished the game at 63.2% at the charity stripe by knocking down 12 of 19 shots. They converted 5 of their 8 shots from beyond the arc. When discussing personal fouls, the Golden Gophers walked away with 16 and Michigan State finished the game with 15 personal fouls.

Dawson Garcia is a guy who was a factor in the game. He finished shooting 53.3% from the floor and also dished out 1 assist. He saw the court for 37 minutes and snagged 4 boards. He totaled 19 points on 8 out of 15 shooting.

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Minnesota heads into this matchup with a record of 18-14 on the campaign. They are losing possession via turnover 12.0 times per contest and as a unit they commit 16.3 fouls every game. As a unit, Minnesota is snagging 35.0 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 555 dimes so far this year, which is 16th in college basketball in terms of passing. The Golden Gophers are shooting 35.8% on shots from downtown (256 of 715) and 69.3% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 75.4 points per contest (122nd in the country) on 47.2% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Golden Gophers are forcing 10.8 turnovers per game and they draw 16.9 fouls. They are giving up 36.3% on 3-point attempts while they are 173rd in D-1 in points per game allowed (71.8). The Golden Gophers defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 44.7% (843 of 1,884) and they relinquish 32.9 boards per contest as a group. They currently rank 318th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 475 conceded for the campaign.

When they last played, the Butler Bulldogs took a loss by a score of 76-72 when they faced Xavier. Regarding rebounding, Butler permitted Xavier to get 36 in all (8 offensive). They finished 31.8% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 7 of 22 and finished the contest at 7 out of 9 from the charity stripe (77.8%). The Bulldogs permitted Xavier to knock down 31 out of 67 attempts from the field which had them shooting 46.3% in this contest. Overall, the Bulldogs went 28 for 62 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 45.2%. In terms of three-point attempts, Butler made 8 out of 26 tries (30.8%). They were able to bury 8 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 80.0%. Xavier committed 16 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Bulldogs to the charity stripe for a total of 10 tries. They also turned it over 18 times, while getting 5 steals for the matchup. The Bulldogs recorded 26 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 32 for this contest.

Pierre Brooks ended up having an impact for the Bulldogs in this matchup. He scored 21 points in his 38 mins on the hardwood and had 2 assists in this contest. He buried 8 out of 13 for the game for a field goal percentage of 61.5%, and totaled 4 rebounds.

Butler has a mark of 18-14 so far this season. The Bulldogs commit 13.8 personal fouls every game and they connect on 79.2% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 15.0 times per contest (72nd in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 10.8 times per contest. Butler has 2,472 pts for the season (77.3 per contest) and they average 35.3 boards per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Bulldogs are connecting on 45.2% from the floor, which ranks them 142nd in D-1.

The Butler defense gives up 32.5% on 3-point attempts (245 of 755) and their opposition makes 73.9% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 13.3 dimes and 36.1 boards every game, which ranks 213th and 257th in those categories on the defensive end. The Bulldogs on the defensive end are ranked 239th in the nation in PPG given up with 73.7. They are forcing 11.6 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.9% from the floor (196th in D-1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Minnesota

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