No. 7 Michigan will put its undefeated record this season on the line against No. 23 Minnesota in a featured Big Ten college basketball matchup here at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on Saturday.
The Wolverines (11-0, 6-0 Big Ten) are one of seven remaining undefeated teams in Division I and they will certainly look to extend their run with another victory. ESPN2 will provide the live television broadcast, with WatchESPN and the ESPN App streaming the game for those using devices such as Amazon Fire TV and Firestick. TV: ESPN2 | Live Stats | Watch Live Video | Live Audio
Tip-off time for this matchup is slated for 2:00 p.m. EST with Michigan starting as the -5.5 favorite in the latest William Hill Sportsbook odds, with the over-under sitting at 147.5 total points.
Money line: Michigan -230; Minnesota +190.
No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 23 Minnesota Preview
The Wolverines are off to a perfect six from six in Big Ten Conference and beat the then-No. 16 Minnesota 82-57 when these two teams met on Jan. 6.
The Golden Gophers (10-4, 3-4) have dropped two straight heading into this game and three of the last five games entering this one.
However, Minnesota has had its troubles against ranked teams this season – winning three just of its seven games against Top 25 teams and has lost three of the last four matchups against such opponents.
Michigan, meanwhile, has won all three of its encounters against ranked opponents this season, including a 77-54 victory over No. 9 Wisconsin on Jan 12.
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The Golden Gophers will look to the comfort of their home court to pull off the upset on Saturday. Minnesota has won its last 10 home games coming into this contest and has scored an average of 85.5 points while allowing 70.7. Overall, Its defense has allowed 74.1 points per game to opponents and its offense is scoring 79.1.
The Michigan offense is averaging 82 points per game this season, which is ranked 28th among Division I teams this season, while giving away just 65.8.
Can Minnesota Slow Down Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson?
For of the biggest danger for the Golden Gophers is going to be center Hunter Dickinson. The Wolverines freshman leads the team in scoring and rebounds this season with 17.5 points and 7.9 rebounds and is shooting 70.9% from the field.
If Dickinson, who is ranked among the best players in the country this season – is allowed to get going again this weekend, it is highly unlikely Michigan will lose this game.
He is ranked seventh in the Big Ten in scoring and rebounding this season.
Minnesota will look to seniors Marcus Carr, Liam Robbins, and Brandon Johnson to continue to carry the workload this weekend. The trio together combined for 53 percent of the Golden Gophers’ points this season.
Carr is averaging 20.9 points with 5.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. Robbins is scoring 13.2 points and 7.2 rebounds across 14 games so far.
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