NCAA Prediction: Minnesota Golden Gophers at Nebraska Cornhuskers
Sunday, February 05, 2012
by Joe Rodriguez
If anything, Minnesota Golden Gophers has been predictably unpredictable this season. The Golden Gophers raced out to a 12-1 start against their non-conference schedule with 10 home and three neutral-site games only to drop their first four Big Ten contests.
They followed with three straight wins, including their only two true road victories but have posted a 1-2 record since, making their game at Nebraska a pivotal one.
A Minnesota win would give the team some much-needed momentum heading into their final eight-game stretch that features five ranked opponents, including four games against three of the top four teams in the conference.
However, a loss would pull the Gophers into a tie with the Nebraska Cornhuskers and make what is already a difficult close to the regular season all the more daunting. Minnesota leads the all-time series 48-15.
- Minnesota Golden Gophers @ Nebraska Cornhuskers
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 5, 2012
Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, Nebraska
TV: 1 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
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Justbet Sportsbook currently have the Cornhuskers listed as 1-point favorites versus the Golden Gophers .
Minnesota Golden Gophers (16-7): In the process of going 2-4 over their six road games this season, the Gophers have struggled to find consistent offense, failing to crack the 60-point mark in half of those contests. However, those struggles may be of less concern against a Nebraska team that is 11th in the conference in scoring offense (62.2). Although Minnesota isn't significantly taller than Nebraska, the Gophers possess more athleticism on their front line as evidenced by their Big Ten-best 5.5 blocks per game.
Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-10): The Cornhuskers' defense has let them down recently as they have surrendered 70 or more points in each of the last three games, matching the same number of times they allowed an opponent to score that many points over the first 18 games. Nebraska entered its game against Northwestern on Thursday leading the Big Ten in 3-point defense in league play, but gave up a season-high 14 3-pointers to the Wildcats – a troubling statistic considering Minnesota hit a season-high 10 3-pointers in its last game.
1. Nebraska’s 63-game series history with Minnesota is the most between the Cornhuskers and any other Big Ten member.
2. The Gophers shot 10 for 19 (52.6 percent) from the 3-point line in Wednesday’s loss to Iowa, but 10 for 32 (31.3) from inside the arc.
3. The Huskers are 10-3 this season when scoring at least 60 points, but 1-7 when failing to reach that mark.
BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Cornhuskers 63, Golden Gophers 59.
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bob devaney sports center - minnesota golden gophers - nebraska cornhuskers
