The NCAAB March Madness is giving us this Big Ten Tournament – 1st Round duel on Wednesday, March 8, and here you can read the best Golden Gophers vs. Cornhuskers betting pick and odds.

Nebraska is looking for the sixth win in seven games when they meet Minnesota at United Center in Chicago, IL. The Cornhuskers are -5.5 favorites on MyBookie Sportsbook, while the total is set at 134.5 points. These Big Ten foes have faced two times this year, and the Cornhuskers lead the series 2-0.

Golden Gophers returned to losing ways

The Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-21, 12-15-2 ATS) snapped a 12-game losing streak with a tight home victory over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights but lost the following tilt with the Wisconsin Badgers at home. The Golden Gophers ended the regular season at the rock-bottom of the Big Ten with just two conference wins. Despite having a 7-point lead at halftime, the Golden Gophers scored only 31 points in the second half and lost 71-67. Minnesota show well from the floor (52.1%) and hit three more triples than Wisconsin (6-3), while the Golden Gophers were also better in assists (18-10), so it’s rather inexplicable how they lost this one.

Sophomore forward Dawson Garcia led the Golden Gophers with 19 points and two steals. Braeden Carrington chipped in 11 points and game-high eight rebounds off the bench, while Joshua Ola-Joseph had ten points and four boards.

Cornhuskers edged Iowa on the road

The Nebraska Cornhuskers (16-15, 13-18-0 ATS) went through their longest winning streak of the campaign as they won four straight. Although the Michigan State Spartans ended that positive run, the Cornhuskers returned to winning ways against the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road. Nebraska was great from the floor (58.5%) and from downtown (53.8%), and even though they committed 15 turnovers opposite Iowa’s six, the Cornhuskers secured an 81-77 victory.

Senior guard Sam Griesel led the Cornhuskers with 16 points, six rebounds, and two blocks. Jamarques Lawrence added 15 points, five boards, and four assists, C.J. Wilcher contributed 12 points and five rebounds, while Keisei Tominaga finished with 11 points.

Trends:

Minnesota:

  • 1-13 SU in the last 14 games
  • 1-10 SU in the last 11 games played on a Wednesday
  • 5-14-2 ATS in their last 21 games following an ATS win

 Nebraska:

  • 5-1 ATS in the last six games
  • 5-0 ATS in the last five games played in March
  • 20-7 ATS in the last 27 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400.

Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers Pick

The Golden Gophers are by far the weakest team in the Big Ten, and it would be shocking if they manage to beat Nebraska on Wednesday. The Cornhuskers defeated Minnesota on two occasions this year and in each of the previous four H2H duels. Nebraska is better in both offense and defense. The Cornhuskers average 67.7 points per game opposite Minnesota’s 62.7 points per contest, while Nebraska allows 69.6 ppg opposite the Golden Gophers’ 70.9 ppg. I don’t expect the Cornhuskers to destroy the Gophers here, but they have been in better form recently and shouldn’t have problems securing a convincing win.

Pick: Take the Nebraska Cornhuskers at -5.5 (-110)

The Total

Nebraska scored 70+ points in seven of the last eight games and it’s evident that the Cornhuskers’ offense is improving, so I expect them to go 75+ against Minnesota. The Golden Gophers allowed 71+ points in each of their previous six games. Both H2Hs this year produced at least 145 points. Over is 6-0 in the Golden Gophers’ last six overall; Over is 4-0 in Minnesota’s previous four games following an ATS win, while Over is 7-0 in the Cornhuskers’ last seven overall.

Pick: Go Over 132.5 points (-133)