Minnesota vs. Indiana odds, props, predictions: Surging Gophers look to maintain momentum against stagnant Hoosiers

A quality Big Ten college basketball matchup is on tap Friday night when Minnesota visits Assembly Hall for a date with Indiana. The Golden Gophers are riding a seven-game winning streak and have covered 14 of 15 games this season and nine in a row.

Conversely, the Hoosiers season has been opposite in many ways from Minnesota. Indiana had a great start, winning seven of their first eight. Over their last eight games, however, the Hoosiers are only 4-4 and covered the spread in four. The Gophers and Hoosiers have also had strong defensive performances recently, as both have hit the UNDER in their last two contests.

Here are the live odds for the Gophers road trip to Bloomington as they take on the Hoosiers. TV coverage will be on FS1 with a scheduled 6:30 p.m. ET tipoff. Here's the Minnesota vs. Indiana betting news, player props and a betting prediction.

Live odds for Minnesota vs. Indiana

Here are the spread, moneyline and total points live odds for Minnesota vs. Indiana at the best sportsbook apps.

More college hoops betting: College Basketball Odds: NCAAB Betting Lines, Spreads and Futures | March Madness Betting Sites

Minnesota Golden Gophers betting news

The Gophers' seven-game winning streak has not been against weak competition. Minnesota had a few easy opponents but also had wins over Nebraska as a two-point underdog and Michigan as a 5.5-point underdog. They also beat and covered the spread against Maryland in their last contest with a 1.5-point spread.

There are some questions about how good Minnesota is, which is partially fair as they have the 347th-ranked adjusted strength of schedule on Kenpom. While they had a very easy nonconference schedule, the Gophers covered the spread in all but one game this season. They have also won outright as an underdog multiple times. They have the 77th-ranked adjusted offense and 91st-ranked adjusted defense for efficiency.

Their weak schedule is why their rankings are not quite as high as their record and coverage rate would indicate. If the Gophers keep winning games, covering spreads and playing at a high level in Big Ten competition, their advanced stats ranking will move up quickly. They stand a good chance to do that with the high level contributions they have been getting from four players averaging double digits, including their elite point guard Elijah Hawkins.

The junior leads the Big Ten and ranks second in the country in assists, averaging 7.8 per game. While he may not be an imposing figure at 5-foot-11 and only averages 8.8 PPG, Hawkins is responsible for more scoring nightly than any other Gopher. His passing ability is elite and makes opposing defenses struggle to give help defense at any time.

Indiana Hoosiers betting news

The Hoosiers have struggled in the middle stretch of their schedule and have missed senior guard Xavier Johnson's presence, as he missed all of December with an injury. Now that he has returned, the Hoosiers hope to get back on track but have lost two of three with Johnson back. Indiana's lack of consistent offense makes winning games in the final minutes challenging.

They have great post play with forward Malik Reneau and center Kel'el Ware leading the team in scoring. Reneau (16.3 PPG, 59.2 FG%) and Ware (14.7 PPG, 55.7 FG%) are efficient scorers, but Indiana does not have a single guard shooting better than 46% from the field. As good as the Indiana frontcourt is, they don't have guards that get them the ball efficiently or score themselves in crunch time.

The best hope for Indiana is that Johnson can provide some high-level guard play as he gets back to full strength. In the three games since his return, Johnson scored 0, 18 and 2 points, and his 18-point game led to a big win for Indiana against Ohio State. Before missing time, Johnson had 14 points against Louisville, 19 against Army and 14 against Florida Gulf Coast. Each of those double-digit performances resulted in victories.

Minnesota vs. Indiana player props at FanDuel Sportsbook

FanDuel Sportsbook has great value odds for players' props on tonight's Minnesota vs. Indiana matchup.

Malik Reneau player props

• 15.5 points OVER (-120) / UNDER (-110)
• 6.5 rebounds OVER (-106) / UNDER (-134)

Trey Galloway player props

• 9.5 points OVER (-110) / UNDER (-120)

Cam Christie player props

• 9.5 points OVER (-125) / UNDER (-105)

Kelel Ware player props

• 13.5 points OVER (-110) / UNDER (-120)
• 8.5 rebounds OVER (-112) / UNDER (-122)

Mike Mitchell player props

• 10.5 points OVER (-130) / UNDER (+100)

Dawson Garcia player props

• 15.5 points OVER (-110) / UNDER (-120)
• 7.5 rebounds OVER (-106) / UNDER (-132)

Minnesota vs. Indiana prediction: Gophers' strong play continues with upset road win 

The Gophers are playing the best basketball of their season, are on a long win streak and have proven they can win outright as underdogs. On the other hand, the Hoosiers are struggling and have lost two of their last three. To keep it close, the Hoosiers need to get a big performance from a guard, and even if they do, the Gophers are playing better right now, making it challenging for Indiana to defend home court.

Pick: Minnesota