NCAA Hoops Action - Minnesota at Iowa

The 19th-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers (13-1 SU, 5-3-1 ATS, 2-6 O/U)  bounced back nicely from a loss in their previous contest to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 68-59 on Saturday, covering the spread for BetUS NCAAB sports betting backers as a 3.5-point home favorite.

The Iowa Hawkeyes (11-4 SU, 6-3 ATS, 4-5 O/U)  have dropped two of their last four but are coming off a 65-60 win over Indiana on Saturday though they failed to cover the spread in the BetUS Sportsbook as 13-point home favorites.

Both teams will look to extend their winning ways when they meet tonight at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa.

Junior point guard Lawrence Westbrook scored a team-high 15 points for Minnesota while junior forward Damian Johnson added 12 points.

"When everybody contributes like they did today," Westbrook said, "I think we're tough to beat."

Golden Gophers’ respected head coach Tubby Smith has a simple, but ingenious plan for his young Gophers this season.

"I don't care about playing time. That's the last thing on my mind," Smith said. "I want to know who can help me win the game. If you can help me win the game, fine. If you can't, you ain't playing. ... I've always done that. I've been pretty good with it."

Despite alternating wins and losses in each of their last five games, Iowa improved to 9-0 at home, where it's holding opponents to 50.6 points per game on 37.7 percent shooting. On Saturday, the Hawkeyes had to withstand a late rally by the Hoosiers after leading by 13 points in the second half.

Junior forward Cyrus Tate shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the field for the Hawkeyes, scoring a game-high 22 points while sophomore guard Jeff Peterson added 16 points in the win.

"There were times when we were very tough - physically and mentally," coach Todd Lickliter said. "Then, there were times when we weren't."

Here is a look at the key trends for each team, followed by my in-depth analysis and NCAA college basketball Free Picks:

Minnesota is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games

The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 7 games on the road

Minnesota is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games on the road

Minnesota is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Iowa

Iowa is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota

Iowa is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

Iowa is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games

Iowa is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Minnesota

NCAAB Odds

Minnesota +2 -110

Iowa -2 -110

Analysis: Maybe it’s me, but I just feel like the Minnesota Gophers are the deeper more talented team in this matchup and will beat the Hawkeyes at home despite Iowa’s unbeaten streak at home this season.

Take Tubby Smith’s crew to get the job done tonight despite being on the road.

NCAAB Free Picks: Minnesota +2