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Rutgers vs. Minnesota Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Sunday, Feb. 18

Breaking down the odds, trends, and best bet prediction for Sunday's Big Ten action between Rutgers and Minnesota.

By Iain MacMillan

Feb 11, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Parker Fox (23) dunks the ball
Feb 11, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Parker Fox (23) dunks the ball / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
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Among today's Big Ten action is an intriguing matchup between Minnesota and Rutgers. The two teams have near identical records heading into today's slate. Minnesota sits at 15-9 overall and 6-7 in conference play while Rutgers is 14-10 overall and 6-7 in conference play.

With the conference being a log jam in the middle, a win today would be huge for either program. In this article, I'm going to break down everything you need to know to bet on the game, including the odds and my best bet.

If you want to bet on today's college basketball games, be sure to click the link below to sign up for an account at DraftKings Sportsbook. If you do, you'll receive $150 in bonus bets when you place your first $5 wager!

Rutgers vs. Minnesota odds, spread, and total

Rutgers vs. Minnesota betting trends

  • The UNDER is 5-0 in Rutgers' last five games
  • The UNDER is 14-6 in Rutgers' last 20 road games
  • Rutgers is 1-4 ATS in its last five games played on a Sunday
  • Minnesota is 7-0 ATS in its last seven games
  • Minnesota is 12-1 ATS in its last 13 home games
  • The OVER is 7-0 in the last seven meetings between these two teams
  • Minnesota is 1-14 straight up in its last 15 games played on a Sunday

Rutgers vs. Minnesota how to watch

  • Date: Sunday, Feb. 18
  • Game time: 6:30 p.m. EST
  • Venue: Williams Arena
  • How to watch (TV): BTN
  • Rutgers record: 14-10 (6-7 in Big Ten)
  • Minnesota record: 15-9 (6-7 in Big Ten)

Rutgers vs. Minnesota key players to watch

Rutgers

Jeremiah Williams: Since returning to the Scarlett Knights' lineup, Jeremiah Williams has given Rutgers some much-needed offense. He's averaging 14.3 points per game in his four starts, while adding on 5.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists. If he can continue to give them an offense edge, Rutgers could be dangerous in the final stretch of the season.

Minnesota

Dawson Garcia: Minnesota's offense goes through its forward, Dawson Garcia. He's shooting 46.7% from the field while averaging 17.6 points per game, which is 6.3 more points per game than anyone else on the team. He is the key to them being the best team to bet on in the country this season in terms of covering the spread.

Rutgers vs. Minnesota prediction and pick

In my "Daily Dunk" article, I broke down why Minnesota covering the spread at home is one of my three best bets for today's college basketball action:

No team has covered the spread at a higher rate in the country than Minnesota, which is 21-3 against the spread entering today's game. While you may be tempted to bet against them expecting regression, I truly don't think sportsbooks and bettors have adjusted their numbers for how good this Golden Gophers squad is.

Minnesota is 35th in the country in effective field goal percentage and 82nd in defensive efficiency. Now the Gophers get to face a Rutgers team that is great defensively, but absolutely horrific on offense. When I say "absolutely horrific," I mean it.

Rutgers is 329th in offensive efficiency and 356th in effective field goal percentage. Only six other teams in Division 1 college basketball are worse at shooting than the Scarlett Knights. There's no chance I'm going to back them to cover a short spread against a team as good as Minnesota.

I'll lay the points with Minnesota and hope the team improves to 22-3 ATS this season.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!

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