Minnesota at No. 3 Michigan Wolverines College Basketball Preview

The loss to Duke was neither enjoyable nor completely surprising, but the only path forward for the Michigan Wolverines is to take it on the chin and move on. That defeat obviously had no bearing on the Big Ten title race, which was altered significantly by UCLA’s upset over Illinois Saturday night. Michigan now can go just 2-2 to finish the year and still claim an outright conference championship.

The schedule could not have been set up better for the Wolverines. A home date against the sub-.500 Minnesota Golden Gophers is both a palate cleanser and a straightforward chance to cross off one of the two remaining wins needed. This is the easiest game left — Kenpom gives Michigan a 97% win probability against its No. 72 team — though ask the Spartans what happens when taking a game against Minnesota for granted.

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Minnesota (13-14, 6-10) at No. 3 Michigan (25-2, 15-1)

Date & Time: Tuesday, Feb. 24, 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Crisler Center, Ann Arbor, MI
TV/Streaming: Big Ten Network

MSU is not the only one to struggle against the Gophers, of course. The Wolverines have lost the last two of these head-to-heads including the overtime upset last season that caused a mini stumble in January after a 5-0 start to conference play. Michigan blew a double-digit lead and then fell victim to a logo buzzer beater in Minneapolis. That was arguably the worst loss of the year.

Two Stats to Watch

Minnesota Off. Block Rate: 14.4% (18th B1G)

The Gophers actually have the 7th-highest effective field goal rate in conference play, somewhat in part due to a top-5 three point affinity — over 50% of their shots come from behind the arc. Though they do lead the Big Ten in assist rate, Michigan will surely be on the lookout when it comes to three-point shooting; no one since Wisconsin has really lit it up in this department.

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If the Wolverines can force the visitors off the line, things could get interesting. Minnesota does happen to be 6th in two-point shooting in conference play,…

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Publish date : 2026-02-24 13:00:00

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