Cade Tyson and the Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-5, 1-1 Big Ten) are 5.5-point underdogs against Nick Martinelli and the Northwestern Wildcats (8-5, 0-2 Big Ten) Saturday, January 3, 2026 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The matchup begins at 5 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. The point total is 140.5 in the matchup.
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Northwestern Cover -5.5 vs Minnesota -105
Northwestern vs. Minnesota betting lines
- Northwestern moneyline odds to win: -230
- Minnesota moneyline odds to win: +188
- Spread: Northwestern (-5.5)
- Total: 140.5
Northwestern statistics, trends and more
As the home team
- When playing at home last season, Northwestern had a worse record against the spread (7-9-1) compared to its ATS record in road games (6-5-0).
- The Wildcats eclipsed the total in 11 of 17 home games (64.7%) last year. They did better in road games, going over the total in nine of 11 matchups (81.8%).
Last season stats
- Last year, the Wildcats were 218th in the nation offensively (72.4 points scored per game) and 85th on defense (69.2 points conceded).
- On the boards, Northwestern was 266th in college basketball in rebounds (30.6 per game) last year. It was 153rd in rebounds allowed (30.8 per game).
- With 14.5 assists per game last season, the Wildcats were 105th in the nation.
Northwestern betting records this season
- ATS Record: 4-9-0 (Home: 3-4-0; Away: 0-2-0)
- ATS Record When Favored by 5.5+: 3-5-0 (As Favorite: 3-7-0; As Underdog: 1-2-0)
- O-U-P: 8-5-0 (Home: 3-4-0; Away: 2-0-0)
- Record When Moneyline Favorite: 8-2 (Home: 6-1; Away: 1-0)
- Record When Moneyline Underdog: 0-3 (Home: 0-0; Away: 0-1)
| Field Goal % | Opp. Field Goal % | Rebounds | Opp. Rebounds | Assists | Turnovers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48.9 (51st in nation) | 40.4 (58th) | 31.2 (271st) | 30.7 (165th) | 18.6 (26th) | 8.8 (sixth) |
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Minnesota statistics, trends and more
As the away team
- Last year, Minnesota was 5-14-0 at home against the spread (.263 winning percentage). Away, it was 6-4-0 ATS (.600).
- In 2024-25, a higher percentage of the Golden Gophers’ games finished above the over/under at home (57.9%, 11 of 19) than away (20%, two of 10).
- When moneyline underdogs last year, the Golden Gophers won a lower percentage of games at home (2-5) than away (5-5).
Last season stats
- On offense, the Golden Gophers scored 68.1 points per game (317th-ranked in college basketball) last season. They gave up 69.7 points per contest on defense (99th-ranked).
- Minnesota was 281st in the nation with 30.4 boards per game. Meanwhile, it ranked 168th with 31.0 rebounds allowed per game.
- The Golden Gophers put up 15.2 dimes per game, which ranked them 69th in the nation.
Minnesota betting records this season
- ATS Record: 5-8-0 (Home: 5-3-0; Away: 0-2-0)
- ATS Record When Underdog by 5.5+: 1-2-0 (As Favorite: 4-4-0; As Underdog: 1-4-0)
- O-U-P: 3-10-0 (Home: 1-7-0; Away: 0-2-0)
- Record When Moneyline Favorite: 7-1 (Home: 7-0; Away: 0-0)
- Record When Moneyline Underdog: 1-4 (Home: 1-0; Away: 0-2)
| Field Goal % | Opp. Field Goal % | Rebounds | Opp. Rebounds | Assists | Turnovers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45.7 (173rd in nation) | 41.4 (85th) | 32.5 (217th) | 28.2 (57th) | 18.2 (33rd) | 11.3 (156th) |
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