Could we see an upset today? Minnesota travels to Providence for a great non-conference matchup while the Wolverines host the in-state Central Michigan Chippewas at Chrysler arena. Nebraska hosts North Texas and No. 19 Northwestern hosts Saint Peter’s.
What a better way to start the week if you’re a Big Ten basketball fan. Let’s take a look at today’s slate of games.
Big Ten Game of the Day:
-Minnesota Golden Gophers at Providence Friars
- Time/TV: 6:30PM ET – FS1
- KenPom Spread: Providence (-5)
The Gophers took care of business in their home opener, beating South Carolina Upstate by a score of 92-77. They were led by junior Jordan Murphy, who scored 35 points and added 15 rebounds to cap off his great start to the season.
Minnesota will truly be tested tonight against Providence. The Friars are coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance last season to go along with 20 wins. They won their first game of the season as well. Providence had four players score ten points or more in their 84-55 blowout win over Houston Baptist.
- Pick Against The Spread: Providence
The Rest:
-Central Michigan Chippewas at Michigan Wolverines
- Time/TV: 7:00PM ET – BTN
- KenPom Spread: Michigan (-22)
The Wolverines are coming into tonight’s game fresh off an 86-66 victory in their home-opener on Saturday night. Led by Moritz Wagner and Duncan Robinson, Michigan looks to be one of the better teams in the Big Ten once again. Charles Matthews emerged in the first game as a true scoring threat that head coach John Beilein can rely on. Matthews scored 20 points in their win against North Florida.
The second game should be much like the first one for the Wolverines. Central Michigan comes into this season without their two leading scorers from a year ago, Braylon Rayson and Marcus Keene. The Chippewas like to play up tempo and keep the opposing team on their heels defensively. Michigan’s size and athleticism will eventually out-match them.
- Pick Against The Spread: Michigan
-North Texas Mean Green at Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Time/TV: 8:00 ET – N/A
- KenPom Spread: Nebraska (-15)
The Huskers narrowly escaped an upset from Eastern Illinois in their home opener. Glynn Watson Jr. led Nebraska with 21 points in the team’s narrow victory. Under head coach Tim Miles, the Huskers have struggled to find an identity in the Big Ten. That will likely be the case once again this season. They struggled to score throughout the game against EIU (39 percent) and made only 19 out of their 35 free throw attempts.
North Texas could pose as a threat for Nebraska. The Mean Green scored 122 points in their first game of the season. Roosevelt Smart and Ryan Woolridge both scored more than 20 points in that game, serving as a one-two punch for North Texas. If Nebraska struggles from the field and can’t capitalize on free throws, they could very well be in for an upset against the Mean Green.
- Pick Against The Spread: North Texas
-Saint Peter’s Peacocks at Northwestern Wildcats
- Time/TV: 8:00 ET – N/A
- KenPom Spread: Northwestern (-18)
The Wildcats won their first game of the season 79-75 over Loyola (MD). Scottie Lindsey scored 26 points and Derek Pardon added 19 points in the effort to avoid the home upset. Northwestern struggled to shoot the ball from long range (23%) and only shot 41% from the field. The Wildcats also turned the ball over 15 times in the game, keeping Loyola in the game.
Northwestern is deep and will be a solid team again this year. Saint Peter’s won’t really pose a threat to the Wildcats. Their last game was a matter of knocking the dust off the boots for this team. The Peacocks don’t have the athleticism to keep up in this game.
- Pick Against The Spread: Northwestern