Minnesota vs. Stanford: Bold Predictions for Championship Clash

The Minnesota Golden Gophers will be your 2012 NIT champions. They are on fire in this NIT tournament, and are playing up to the potential they failed to realize during the season. 

Still, it will be an exciting final game. Here are a few things you can expect, and why Minnesota will win. 

Total Score Will Be Under 120

Both of these teams like to keep the score down. Stanford finished the season 115th in scoring at 70.5. Minnesota came in at 187th at 67.4. 

With both teams content to not push the pace, the game will slow down even more. Both sides will be more concerned about finding good shots rather than running up and down the floor. 

This means lots of half-court basketball, and not many points. 

Rodney Williams Will Score at Least 20

Williams is having an amazing NIT for the Gophers. He is averaging 21 points in their four NIT games. 

He can get his points in a number of ways. He is athletic and a solid ball-handler. This allows him to create his own shots and get easy looks at the rim. 

He also has a decent jump shot, which helps him stretch the defense. 

The Cardinal are going to have a hard time matching up with his athleticism, and Williams will have another big day. 

Minnesota Will Win

Both of these teams are playing their best basketball of the season right now. This will lead to a well-played and tight game. 

Minnesota is going to take this one because they are the more efficient team. As I mentioned above, this game is going to be low-scoring. That puts a greater emphasis on each possession, and makes being efficient with those possessions even more vital. 

The Gophers shot 46 percent on the season. Stanford shot 42. Minnesota will be able to maintain that better field-goal percentage in this game because they know how to move the ball. 

This is a team that finished 27th in the nation in assists. In a close game, that will be enough to push them over the top. 

Score: Minnesota 61, Stanford 57