posted February 27, 2008 at 20:32 EST in NCAA B Free Picks

The Minnesota Golden Gophers, (17-9 SU, 12-9 ATS, 11-10 O/U), have made some wonderful strides under venerable head coach Tubby Smith in his first season at the school – and the Gophers would like nothing better than to try to reach the magical 20-win mark this season, starting with a victory over the Purdue Boilermakers, (21-6 SU, 14-10 ATS, 13-11 O/U) tonight.

Nabbing that victory over the 16th—ranked Boilermakers may be easier said than done, particularly seeing as how Purdue lost its last contest, 77-68 at Indiana to snap an eleven-game winning streak exactly one week ago and will likely be extremely focused as the Big Ten tournament quickly approaches.

"We made careless mistakes, putting our hands on guys," Purdue coach Matt Painter said about his team’s performance against the Hoosiers. "We had so many situations where if we get a stop, we could take the lead, and then we'd foul."

Minnesota, just 5-5 in their last ten games, comes into this matchup having won two consecutive games, including a solid 75-68 victory over Penn State at home on Sunday.

he Boilermakers have been one of the hottest teams in the nation against the spread, covering in eight of their last ten, though they failed to cover as 5.5-point underdogs against Indiana.

The Gophers are averaging 71.7 points per game on 45.3 percent shooting while allowing 63.8 points per game on 42.9 percent shooting.

The Boilermakers are averaging 68.5 points per game on42.6 percent shooting while allowing 61.1 points per game on 43.3 percent shooting.

Here is a look at tonight’s key trends, followed by my analysis and NCAA Basketball Gambling Free Picks:

The Golden Gophers are 5-1 ATS in their last six road games.

The Golden Gophers are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.

The Boilermakers are 11-2 ATS in their last 13 games overall.

The Boilermakers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games vs. a team with a winning percentage above .600.

The Under is 4-0 in Golden Gophers last four vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.

The Under is 4-0 in Boilermakers last four vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.

The Under is 8-0 in the last eight meetings.

The Under is 4-0 in the last four meetings in Purdue.

Analysis: While I like the Boilermakers to win this game, I think the Gophers are a lot better than most people may think and will cover this seemingly innocuous spread tonight.

NCAAB Free Picks: Minnesota +8½ Points/Over 134½Total Points

09:00 PM EST NCAA Basketball Betting Odds

Minnesota U +8½ -110

Purdue -8½ -110

Over 134½ -110

Under 134½ -110

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