posted March 18, 2008 at 16:27 EST in NCAA B Articles

The Minnesota Gophers, (20-13 SU, 14-14 ATS, 11-17 O/U), return to the postseason for the first time since a 2006 NIT appearance and will likely be fueled by the fact that they narrowly missed out on being selected for the annual NCAA Championship Tournament this season instead of the NIT.

"That (NIT appearance) would [allow us to] continue to grow on the way we've been playing lately, and we have been playing better over the last couple of weeks," Smith said. "And that would be something we could build on for the future."

The Maryland Terrapins, (18-14 SU, 11-15-1 ATS, 13-14 O/U), are playing in the NIT because they couldn’t find any consistency all season long as indicated by their average 4-6 record in their last ten games.

The Golden Gophers are just 5-5 in their last ten games, but picked up a huge Big Ten Tournament win by beating nationally ranked Inidana 59-58.

Maryland averages 73.2 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting while allowing 69.6 points per game while limiting their opponents to just 39.4 percent shooting.

Minnesota averages 68.6 points per game on 44.1 percent shooting while holding their opponents to just 63.1 points per game on 42.3 percent shooting.

Here is a look at tonight’s Key Trends, followed by my analysis and NCAA Basketball Free Picks.

The Terrapins are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a home winning percentage of greater than .600.

The Terrapins are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 road games.

The Golden Gophers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite of 0.5-6.5.

The Golden Gophers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a S.U. loss.

The Under is 4-0 in Terrapins last 4 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.

The Under is 5-0 in Golden Gophers last 5 games following a S.U. loss.

Analysis: The Gophers are playing at home and are the better team in this matchup, though you just never know which Maryland team is going to show up this season. Take the Gophers to extend their season with a big victory tonight.

NCAAB Free Picks: Minnesota -2½ Points/Over 138½ Total Points

09:30 PM EST College Basketball Spreads

Maryland +2½ -110

Minnesota U -2½ -110

Over 138½ -110

Under 138½ -110

NIT Tournament - First Round - Bottom Team is Home

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