Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Stanford Cardinal Point Spread Picks

Stanford has plenty of motivation to show up tonight in Madison Square Garden. They are one win away from bringing home the NIT championship and 2-0 SU/ATS their last two as a dog. They have terrific balance with 6-8 senior Josh Owens up front, and freshman guard Chasson Randle and sophomore Aaron Bright and Anthony Brown in the backcourt. Brown led the way with 18 points while Josh Owens notched a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds, defeating Massachusetts 74-64. This offense has been clicking, scoring 76, 92, 84 and 74 points the last four games, winning by 11, 4, 28 and 10 points! The Cardinal is 10-4 ATS in their last 14 non-conference games and are on a 5-2 ATS run overall. The Cardinal is searching for its second NIT title in school history after capturing the hardware in 1991. The opportunity to play for a championship is rare, and Stanford is playing arguably its best basketball of the year. While Stanford had a winning record in the Pac 10, Minnesota finished 6-12 in the Big Ten. The Gophers lost star player Trevor Mbakwe after seven games - their top scorer and rebounder. Minnesota has been squeaking by, beating Middle Tennessee by 6 and Washington by 1 point the last two games. Play Stanford.