
Minnesota vs Michigan Prediction 1/16/25 College Basketball Picks Today
Michigan (13-3) vs. Minnesota (8-9)
January 16, 2025 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Minnesota +10.5; Over/Under: 143.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Michigan Wolverines and the Minnesota Golden Gophers meet Thursday in college basketball action from Williams Arena. Here’s a Minnesota vs Michigan prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Minnesota vs Michigan pick.
Michigan Wolverines Betting Preview
The Wolverines have had quite a steady season so far, with only one instance of consecutive losses. Michigan went a nice 8-1 over their first nine games. The one defeat in that time was Wake Forest. Otherwise, it was wins over Cleveland State, TCU, Miami Ohio, Tarleton State, Virginia Tech, Xavier, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Following those consecutive defeats versus Arkansas and Oklahoma, the Wolverines have since taken five straight wins over Fort Wayne, Western Kentucky, USC, UCLA, and Washington for a nice 13-3 overall run through 16 games.
In the Washington matchup back on Sunday, the Wolverines came out of halftime sporting a 48-38 edge. Michigan kept it going from there, rolling to a 91-75 win after a 43-37 second half. Tops in scoring was Vladislav Goldin with 19 points, seven boards, and three assists. Nimari Burnett added 16 points with three assists and two rebounds, while Roddy Gayle put up 15 points and four rebounds with 7-of-7 from the line. Coming off the bench to chip in 12 points with one rebound in 16 minutes of work was Sam Walters. Danny Wolf also finished in double-figures with 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and four turnovers in 25 minutes.
Minnesota Golden Gophers Betting Preview
Over on the Gophers’ side, they kicked off the 2024-25 season on a nice run, but they’ve since struggled during some pretty tough matchups starting in late November. Minnesota opened on a 5-1 stretch with a lone loss to North Texas amid wins over Oral Roberts, Omaha, Yale, Cleveland State, and Central Michigan. The Golden Gophers would go just 1-4 in the next five with a win over Bethune-Cookman alongside losses to Wichita State, Wake Forest, Michigan State, and Indiana. Following two more wins over Fairleigh Dickinson and Morgan State, the Gophers have since lost four straight versus Purdue, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Maryland, resulting in an 8-9 overall record through 17 games so far this season.
Matched up against Maryland on Monday, the Golden Gophers held a 35-32 advantage by the second half. Minnesota was overtaken on a 45-36 run the rest of the way however, taking a 77-71 loss in the end. Leading the way in the defeat was Dawson Garcia with his 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Lu’Cye Patterson added 15 points with five boards and three assists, and Isaac Asuma put up 15 bench points with two rebounds in 32 minutes of work. Frank Mitchell chipped in a bucket in 12 minutes off the bench as well.
Why the Minnesota Golden Gophers will win
- Michigan has lost each of its last seven Thursday games against the Big Ten Conference.
- Minnesota has won eight of its last 10 home games when playing with a rest disadvantage.
- Michigan has lost the first half in seven of its last eight night games against the Big Ten Conference.
Why the Michigan Wolverines will win
- Minnesota has lost each of its last 17 games against AP-ranked opponents.
- Michigan has won nine of its last 10 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Michigan has won the first half in each of its last 12 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Minnesota vs Michigan Prediction
I’m going to stay with Michigan. The Wolverines didn’t have too many issues taking care of a decent Washington team in their last outing, posting a nice 52.7 percent shooting from the field with 36 rebounds and 19 team assists. There are a couple of things to clean up from that win however, namely the 11 turnovers and the spotty 22-of-32 (68.8 percent) from the free-throw line. That said, Michigan is looking good during this five-game win streak. They’ve hit 85 or more points in each of those outings, and they’ve got 85 or more points in eight straight games overall (a 6-2 run).
As for Minnesota, they shot a tepid 41.5 percent from the field with 16 turnovers for 15 Terrapins points in their loss to Maryland. The Golden Gophers have 71 or more points in two of their last four games (all losses) but it’s worth noting that one of those went to double overtime. Minnesota will certainly have their hands full here, and if Michigan plays to their capabilities I like the Wolverines to power it out in the end.