Wisconsin vs Minnesota Prediction - Basketball Picks 3/5/23

Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-20) vs Wisconsin Badgers (16-13)

Game Info: Sunday, March 5, 2023 at 7:30 pm (Williams Arena)

Betting Odds: Minnesota Golden Gophers +6 -- Over/Under: 126.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

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The Wisconsin Badgers will head up to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers in Big Ten play from the Williams Arena on FS1.

Wisconsin dropped to 16-13 after losing to Purdue in Madison. The Badgers played the top-five ranked Boilermakers very well, and nearly beat them before falling by two, 63-61. Wisconsin is scoring 65.0 points per game, while allowing 63.4 ppg, and shooting 41.4% from the field.

Wisconsin’s near-upset of Purdue was impressive, and they’ll look to complete the sweep of Minnesota here. The Badgers are 8-11 in Big Ten play, with a 4-6 road record. Sophomore guard Chucky Hepburn leads the Badgers in scoring (12.2), after a hot start in February. Freshman guard Connor Essegian is right behind him at 12.0 ppg after going for a season-high 24 points against Michigan last week. Veteran big Steven Crowl leads the team in 7.2 rpg, while scoring 11.3 ppg. Senior forward Tyler Wahl has double-doubled in two of the last three games, and he’s up to 11.0 ppg and 6.2 rpg.

Minnesota moved to 8-20 after beating Rutgers at home. The Golden Gophers trailed at the break, but a heroic second half effort would push them past the Scarlet Knights by a single point, 75-74. Minnesota is scoring 62.0 points per game, while allowing 70.8 ppg and shooting 42.5% from the floor.

Minnesota finally got back into the win column with the comeback victory over Rutgers, and they’ll look to play spoiler again here Sunday. The Gophers are 2-16 in Big Ten play, with a 6-10 record at home. The Gophers play through hometown products Jamison Battle and Dawson Garcia. Battle led the team with 20 points in the win over the Knights, and he’s up to 13.2 ppg and 3.7 rpg. Garcia added 19 points, and he leads the team in scoring (15.4) and rebounding (6.9). Junior guard Ta’lon Cooper dished out 11 dimes against Rutgers, and he’s posting a solid line of 9.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, and 6.1 apg.

Wisconsin is 13-15-1 against the spread this season, with a 14-15 over/under record. Minnesota is 11-15-2 ATS this year, with a 12-16 o/u record.

Minnesota’s comeback win over Rutgers raises eyebrows coming into this one. We finally got a positive glimpse of what the Minneapolis bred tandem of Jamison Battle and Dawson Garcia can do, and you have to wonder if that momentum can carry over into their home finale. The total is marked a bit low due to Wisconsin representing one of the more defensive-minded teams in the land, but this reachable number has been hit in six of their eight road games. Take the over for this Big Ten contest.