Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Oregon Ducks Picks and Predictions January 25th 2025

No. 15 Oregon Looking for More Road Magic at Minnesota

No. 15 Oregon heads to Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon to face Minnesota in a Big Ten showdown, hoping to continue its impressive road dominance this season.

The Ducks (16-3, 5-3 Big Ten) have been unbeaten away from Eugene, boasting a 3-0 conference road record and an 8-0 overall mark in games played on the road or at neutral sites.

Oregon is coming off an 82-71 home victory over Washington on Tuesday, where TJ Bamba led the way with 21 points, and Brandon Angel added 15.

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Oregon’s Ability to Rally on the Road

The Ducks have displayed resilience in conference play, showing a knack for erasing deficits and finishing strong, particularly in away games. Against Washington, Oregon trailed by eight points in the first half but turned it around in the second.

In their previous two road wins, they overcame second-half deficits at Ohio State and Penn State to secure victories.

Oregon’s bench depth has played a significant role in the team’s success. Supreme Cook, a transfer from Georgetown, had one of his best games of the season on Tuesday, scoring 13 points off the bench and providing physicality inside when leading scorer Nate Bittle was in foul trouble.

“Any given night we have five, six, seven guys who can score in double digits,” Angel said. “You trust your teammates to step up and fill that void.”

Bittle leads the Ducks in scoring (13.6 ppg), rebounds (7.7), and blocks (2.0), while Jackson Shelstad (12.6 ppg) and Bamba (10.2 ppg) are also averaging double figures.

Minnesota Finding Momentum in Big Ten Play

Minnesota (10-9, 2-6 Big Ten) enters Saturday’s contest after back-to-back wins, rebounding from an 0-6 start in conference play.

The Golden Gophers pulled off a dramatic 84-81 overtime upset of then-No. 20 Michigan on Jan. 16, with Dawson Garcia hitting a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. They then followed it up with a 72-67 road win over Iowa on Tuesday.

Head coach Ben Johnson believes momentum is building within his squad.

“Winning obviously helps. Nobody really gets as tired when you’re winning,” Johnson said. “There’s an energy. I think our guys really want to be in the gym now more than ever, not that they weren’t before.”

Gophers Face a Tough Upcoming Stretch

Minnesota has a challenging slate of games ahead, starting with Oregon. After facing the Ducks, the Gophers travel to No. 8 Michigan State on Tuesday, then take on Penn State and No. 17 Illinois in early February.

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One major area of concern for Minnesota is free-throw shooting, as the team is hitting just 64 percent from the charity stripe this season.

Garcia has been the Gophers’ top performer, averaging 19.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Mike Mitchell Jr. (11.8 ppg) leads the team in 3-pointers made (31) despite playing in just 12 games.

Oregon and Minnesota haven’t faced each other since 2002, but the Gophers hold a 5-3 all-time edge in the series. With Oregon’s road perfection on the line, Saturday’s clash sets up as a key test for both teams.