The Minnesota Golden Gophers take on the Wisconsin Badgers. Our college basketball odds series has our Minnesota-Wisconsin prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Minnesota-Wisconsin.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers are in for a very long season under coach Ben Johnson. They are 6-6 through the first 12 games of the season and are 0-2 in Big Ten play. They won their last two games, but those were both “buy games” in which they handed out a paycheck to a smaller school. Minnesota beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Chicago State at home, and the Golden Gophers did not cover the spread in either of those games. They were a 17-point favorite over Pine Bluff and won by 16. They were a double-digit favorite over Chicago State and won by only three in a very tense game which went right down to the wire. Minnesota now has to resume its Big Ten schedule by going to Wisconsin, where the Badgers are waiting. Wisconsin is 10-2 on the season and is 2-0 in Big Ten action, winning on the road at Iowa and handling Maryland at home. It's a huge challenge for Minnesota.

Here are the Minnesota-Wisconsin college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel:

College Basketball Odds: Minnesota-Wisconsin Odds

Minnesota Golden Gophers: +12.5 (-110)

Wisconsin Badgers: -12.5 (-110)

Over: 123.5 (-114)

Under: 123.5 (-106)

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Why Minnesota Could Cover The Spread

The Wisconsin Badgers have played a lot of close games this season. This is well-documented. Wisconsin might have a 10-2 record, but the Badgers could easily be 7-5. Wisconsin beat Dayton by one point, lost to Wake Forest at home by three, beat Maryland by five, beat Marquette in overtime, lost to Kansas by one, and beat USC by five. Teams with varying levels of quality have played Wisconsin close this season. Wisconsin's most recent game was on December 30 against Western Michigan. Wisconsin was a 20.5-point favorite over the Broncos but would up winning by only 10 in a game which was consistently well below the spread. Wisconsin generally does not blow out its opponents, and that's why you're seeing the line for this game at a lower number than you might have been led to expect. Even then, with the 12.5-point spread, Minnesota — a foremost rival of Wisconsin — can play inspired defense and come out with a full-tilt effort which will bother Wisconsin's unreliable, unsteady offense and keep this game close. Wisconsin is a good team, but the Badgers frequently play to the level of their competition, including in home games, and the Badgers aren't the kind of team which blows out opponents like clockwork.

Why Wisconsin Could Cover The Spread

Minnesota is a very bad team. The Golden Gophers had real problems with Chicago State. If a team has a hard time beating Chicago State at home, it is likely to get blown out of the Kohl Center, where the Badgers definitely want to make a statement and get into the flow of the Big Ten season on a good note — not just a winning note, but by delivering a thumping which builds confidence for the rest of the season and sets them on the right course. Wisconsin has played a lot of average basketball to get to this point. The Badgers have been excellent at winning close games. That's why they're 10-2. This team knows it can play a lot better than what it has shown, and you're going to see Wisconsin take that step forward in this game.

Final Minnesota-Wisconsin Prediction & Pick

Minnesota is not mediocre. Minnesota is a bad team. Wisconsin should be able to get on top of this game and win by 18 to 20 points.

Final Minnesota-Wisconsin Prediction & Pick: Wisconsin -12.5

How To Watch Minnesota vs. Wisconsin

TV: Big Ten Network

Stream: Fox Sports App and FuboTV

Time: 9:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. PT