2012 NIT Tournament Second Round
#6 Minnesota Golden Gophers at #2 Miami Hurricanes
BankUnited Center – Coral Gables, Florida
Monday, March 19, 2012, 9:00 pm Eastern, TV: ESPN
Opening Line: Miami -5
Current Line: Miami -6
Opening Total: 131
Current Total: 131
Opening Money Line: Miami -215 / Minnesota +185
Current Money Line: Miami -270 / Minnesota +230
The 20-12 Miami Hurricanes, coached by Jim Larranaga, finished tied for fourth in the ACC with Virginia and North Carolina St. The Hurricanes were on the bubble for the NCAA tournament, but a 4-5 record down the stretch took them out of the tournament and into the NIT as a #2 seed. Miami lost to Florida St in the ACC quarterfinals. The Hurricanes beat Valparaiso in the first round of the NIT last week.
The Hurricanes will take on #6 seed Minnesota in the second round Monday night. The winner will take on either Tennessee or Middle Tennessee in the quarterfinals Wednesday night. Minnesota, coached by Tubby Smith, finished tied for ninth in the Big Ten with a 20-14 record. The Golden Gophers have won 3 of their last 4 games after a six game losing streak. They lost to Michigan St in the Big Ten quarterfinals. The Gophers upset #3 seed LaSalle 70-61 in the first round of the NIT. Miami won the only previous meeting at home against Minnesota 63-58 in 2009.
Minnesota has wins over Bucknell, South Dakota St, DePaul, Indiana St, Virginia Tech, USC, Central Michigan, North Dakota St, Indiana, Penn St, Northwestern twice, Illinois, and Nebraska twice. The Gophers started off the season 12-1 but went 8-13 for the rest of the season after leading scorer and rebounder Trevor Mbakwe went down for the season with a leg injury. Minnesota has losses to Dayton, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa twice, Purdue, Michigan St 3 times, Wisconsin twice, Ohio St, Northwestern, and Indiana.
Miami has wins over Rutgers, UMass, Charlotte, Clemson, Georgia Tech twice, Boston College twice, Maryland, Duke, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and Florida St. The Hurricanes have losses to Ole Miss, Purdue, Memphis, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina twice, NC State twice, and Florida St twice.
Minnesota is outscoring opponents 68-64 this season. The Golden Gophers are shooting 46.1% from the field, including 35.5% from 3 point range. Minnesota makes 69.5% of their free throws. The Gophers average 34.8 rebounds a game, and have a rebounding margin of +4. Minnesota averages 15.3 assists, 14.2 turnovers, 4.9 blocks and 7.2 steals a game. Minnesota opponents are shooting 41.4% from the field including 35.2% from 3 point range. Minnesota is forcing 12.9 turnovers a game.
Rodney Williams averages 11.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks a game. He leads the team in scoring, steals, rebounds, and blocks. Julian Welch is averaging 10.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3 assists to lead the team, and 1 steals a game. He shoots 42.7% from 3 point range. Austin Hollins averages 9.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.9assists, and 1.1 steals a game. Andre Hollins averages 7.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists a game. Ralph Sampson III averages 7.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.3 blocks a game. He is day to day with a knee injury. Forward Maurice Walker is questionable with a knee injury, but hasn’t played yet this season.
Miami is outscoring opponents 71-66 this season. The Hurricanes are shooting 43.4% from the field, and 35.7% from 3 point range. Miami makes 72.4% from 3 point range. The Hurricanes average 35 rebounds a game with a rebounding margin of +0.3. Miami averages 12 assists, 11.7 turnovers, 6.3 steals, and 3.7 blocks a game. Hurricane opponents are shooting 41.7% from the field and 32.3% from 3 point range. Miami forces 13.1 turnovers a game.
Miami guard Durand Scott averages 12.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1 steal a game. He leads the Hurricanes in scoring and assists but is suspended indefinitely and has missed the last two games. Kenny Kadji averages 12 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks a game to lead the team. He makes 42.4% from 3 point range. Malcolm Grant averages 11.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists a game. He makes 33.7% of his three point attempts. Reggie Johnson averages 10 points, 7.4 rebounds to lead the team, 1.6 assists, and 1 steal a game. Shane Larkin averages 7.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 steals a game to lead the team. Trey McKinney-Jones, Rion Brown, and DeQuan Jonesalso get significant time in the rotation. Forward Julian Gamble is out for the season with a knee injury.
Miami is 15-12-2 ATS and the total is 15-14 this season. Minnesota is 17-13-1 ATS and the total is 15-15-1 this season. The Golden Gophers are 5-0 ATS overall, 4-0 after a cover, in road games, and in road games against teams with winning home records, 2-5 in Monday games, and 3-9-1 against ACC teams. The Hurricanes 5-0 ATS at home, 4-0 at home against teams with losing road records, 4-1-1 overall, 35-15-1 in non-conference games, 1-4 against Big Ten teams, and 1-3-1 after a cover.
Though both teams are missing their top scorer, Miami is a deeper and more talented team. Plus the Hurricanes are playing at home, where they have lost only 3 times this season. The Hurricanes should win this game handily.
Our college basketball handicappers are red hot this month. Don’t miss out on any more winners for the rest of the post-season.
