Indiana vs Minnesota College Basketball Bet

Minnesota vs Indiana

Indiana ranges from 3 to 4 point favorites on the road in Sunday's Big Ten matchup with Minnesota.  The two first-year coaches faced off in Bloomington last month.  The Hoosiers came away with a 13-point victory at home, in a balanced scoring effort including 13 points by Rob Phinisee on 4 of 9 makes from three.  Indiana sits in the middle of the Big Ten standings with a conference record of 8-9, while Minnesota sits near the bottom at 4-13.

Indiana has only two road wins all season to go with seven road losses, while Minnesota is 8-6 at home.  'The Barn' in Minneapolis has traditionally been a tough place to win in the Big Ten, perhaps a result of both travel (geographically the furthest northwest team in the conference) and the uniquely elevated floor they play on.
 

Matchup

In the previous matchup, Minnesota clogged the interior and often helped on Trayce Jackson-Davis.  Indiana was able to hit open shots from the perimeter, which then forced the Gophers' interior defense to spread back out.  Phinisee hitting 4 of 9 from deep helped a lot.  With Phinisee doubtful to play tonight, Indiana may struggle to hit perimeter shots when the paint gets clogged again.  Indiana ranks second to last in Big Ten play when it comes to three point shooting, making only 31.5% from deep (per kenpom).

Minnesota certainly has lacked stellar performances on offense as well.  They tend to shoot midrange jumpers more than most other teams in conference.  They play at a very slow tempo and take great care of the ball.  I feel like whichever team is more "locked in" for this one will walk away with the win.  Indiana is in the typical "must win" spot for bubble teams this time of year.  That typically doesn't fare well for the bubble teams though, as they are clearly on the bubble for a reason.  Just ask SMU earlier today, or Loyola Chicago, Rutgers, Oregon and Miami yesterday how their "must win" bubble games went (answer: not well).  So fading Indiana as a bubble team in a must win game is one motivating factor, and the other is Senior Day.  Minnesota is a senior-laden team with six seniors in the rotation, highlighted by four-year Minnesota senior big man Eric Curry.  Curry has a tough assignment today facing off against TJD, but I completely expect max effort in his last game ever at The Barn.

There is a chance the public hammer the road favorite Indiana and move this line up even further, so make sure to check BetKarma's free Odds Comparison Tool before placing your bet!

 

Best Bet: Minnesota +4 (-110)

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

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