Northwestern Wildcats vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Prediction, 3/12/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northwestern Wildcats vs Minnesota Golden Gophers

Date: Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN

TV: Peacock

The Minnesota Golden Gophers (15-16) will try to defeat the Northwestern Wildcats (16-15) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday.

The Northwestern Wildcats faced off with Maryland and went home with a loss by a final score of 74-61 in their last contest. When it comes to fouls, the Wildcats ended up finishing with 22 and Maryland had 14 fouls. They made 7 of their 16 shots from three-point range. Maryland went 82.1% from the free throw line by burying 23 of their 28 attempts. Additionally, Maryland snagged 37 rebounds (12 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't have a block. Maryland dished out 9 assists and had 8 steals for this game. When talking about defense, Northwestern let their opponent shoot 42.3% from the field on 22 out of 52 shooting. They also distributed 13 dimes for the contest in addition to forcing the other team into 17 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In reference to hauling in rebounds, they compiled 20 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Wildcats made 17 of their 20 tries for a percentage of 85.0%. Northwestern ended with a 36.4% FG percentage (20 out of 55) and knocked down 4 of their 19 shots from distance.

Nick Martinelli is a player who played a role in this game. He finished the game shooting 42.1% from the field and also earned 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 38 mins and grabbed 7 rebounds. He racked up 28 points on 8 out of 19 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

Northwestern will enter this matchup with a record of 16-15 for the season. They are averaging 72.7 pts per game (213th in the nation) while connecting on 44.2% from the field. The Wildcats are shooting 33.7% from downtown (211 of 626) and 73.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Northwestern is snagging 33.6 boards per contest and is sitting with 451 assists for the season, which ranks 136th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They are giving up possession 9.8 times per contest and as a squad are committing 17.6 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Wildcats are able to force 13.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 16.6 personal fouls. They surrender 33.9% on shots from downtown and they are 94th in D-1 in points per game allowed (69.3). The Wildcats defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 43.5% (734 of 1,687) and they relinquish 34.1 boards per game as a team. They rank 277th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 449 relinquished so far this year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Minnesota Golden Gophers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 75-67 when they faced Rutgers. The Golden Gophers pulled down 29 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive boards for a total of 42 in this game. They turned the ball over 13 times, while recording 7 steals in the game. Rutgers had 16 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Golden Gophers to the free throw line for a total of 23 tries. They were able to knock down 13 of them for a rate of 56.5%. When talking about three-point shots, Minnesota made 2 of 16 tries (12.5%). When the game finished, the Golden Gophers shot 26 for 64 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 40.6%. The Golden Gophers permitted Rutgers to make 28 of 66 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 42.4% for the contest. They wrapped up this game 23.5% from 3-point land by shooting 4 out of 17 and ended up shooting 15 out of 23 from the charity stripe (65.2%). Concerning cleaning up the glass, Minnesota allowed Rutgers to snag 33 in all (9 on the offensive side).

Dawson Garcia ended up being important for the Golden Gophers for the game. He recorded 19 points in his 32 minutes on the court, but left the arena with no assists. He made 8 of 19 in this game giving him a rate of 42.1%, and tallied 8 rebounds.

Minnesota has a mark of 15-16 so far this season. As an offense, the Golden Gophers are hitting on 44.3% from the field, which ranks 207th in Division 1. Minnesota has 2,114 points this year (68.2 per game) and they collect 33.9 rebounds per contest. They are getting an assist 15.4 times per game (71st in the nation) and they turn it over 10.8 times per game. The Golden Gophers commit 17.4 personal fouls every game and they shoot 65.8% from the charity stripe.

The Minnesota defense allows 34.7% on three-point shots (206 of 593) and their opposition makes 75.0% of their free throw shots. They have relinquished 14.7 dimes and 34.6 total boards per game, which is ranked 304th and 207th in college hoops. The Golden Gophers on the defensive side of the court are 101st in D-1 in PPG given up with 69.6. They are forcing their opponents into 10.6 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.0% from the field (196th in D-1).

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

Tony Sink'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