Minnesota
Opening Line: No. 12 Michigan a double-digit favorite vs. Minnesota
With their season seemingly on the line, Michigan met the moment this past Saturday in a gritty, 27-24 win over USC on the strength of their run game and defense.
The Wolverines (3-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) closed as a 4.5-point underdog to the Trojans, and the upset victory gave U-M its first cover against the spread of the season. Michigan is now set to host Minnesota (2-2, 0-1) in Ann Arbor this coming weekend, and the Wolverines opened as a 12-point favorite over the Golden Gophers, per Circa Sports.
College Football 🏈 Opening App Limits: $3k Sides, $1k Totals pic.twitter.com/SFWiZgwOKE
— Circa Sports (@CircaSports) September 22, 2024
Week 5 Opening Lines
Since that opening line was released Sunday afternoon, the point spread has shifted in favor of Minnesota. As of midnight on Monday, Michigan sits at a 10-point favorite on ESPN BET and a 9.5-point favorite according to FanDuel. The Wolverines are 1-3 against the spread so far in 2024.
The Golden Gophers, 2-2-1 against the spread, enter the matchup with Michigan coming off a 17-point home loss to rival Iowa (31-14) last weekend, in which they were a three-point underdog. Minnesota covered as a sizeable favorite over Rhode Island (48-0) and Nevada (27-0) the previous two weeks, and recorded a ‘push’ with a two-point loss to North Carolina (19-17) in Week 1.
After attempting to be balanced offensively behind quarterback Davis Warren in the first three weeks of the season, Michigan switched to Alex Orji as their starter against USC and doubled-down on what they do best: run the football. The Wolverines rumbled to 290 yards on the ground against the Trojans, while Orji threw for just 32 yards passing in the game. Michigan ranks 109th (out of 134 FBS teams) nationally in total offense (327.5), 93rd in yards per play (5.53), 128th in pass yards per game (122.8) and 31st in rush yards per game (204.8).
Meanwhile, Michigan’s defense appears to be making strides after a subpar start to their season, though the Wolverines are still too-often plagued by coverage busts in the secondary. U-M ranks 55th in total defense (323 yards allowed per game), 40th in yards per play allowed (4.82), 101st in pass yards allowed (246.5 per game) and 11th in rush yards allowed (76.5 per game) through four weeks.
Michigan is set to host Minnesota at Noon ET on Sept. 28 at the Big House, with FOX carrying the broadcast from Ann Arbor.
– Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI –
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For additional coverage of University of Michigan athletics:
Minnesota
Nuggets-Timberwolves takeaways: Jaden McDaniels backs up his talk, as Minnesota dominates Game 3 with defense
This wasn’t close. With the Denver Nuggets missing Aaron Gordon with a calf injury, the Minnesota Timberwolves jumped out to a 25-11 first-quarter lead in Game 3 and never looked back. The Wolves came away with a 113-96 victory and a 2-1 series lead behind a team effort and a dominating defensive performance that included holding Nikola Jokić to 27 points on 7-for-26 shooting.
Let’s get to some takeaways.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves defended
The Nuggets led the NBA this season in points per game (122.1 PPG). The Nuggets led the NBA this season in offensive rating (121.2). The Nuggets scored 96 points in Game 3.
Minnesota pressured and sped up the Nuggets right from the jump. By the end of the first quarter, the Nuggets were 3 for 21 from the field (1 of 9 from 3). Active ball pressure bogged the Nuggets’ attack down, physicality disrupted their off-ball movement. The Wolves flew around all night long to keep the Nuggets in a box. Denver had only 12 assists as a team in Game 3. For comparison, Jokić averaged 10.7 a night in the regular season.
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Rudy Gobert protected the paint and contested versus Jokić. Jaden McDaniels and Donte DiVincenzo hounded Jamal Murray. Denver’s dynamic duo combined to shoot 12-for-43, a credit to the Wolves’ game plan and execution.
Ayo, look at this team effort
If you wondered what the ceiling was for Minnesota after it added Ayo Dosunmu at the trade deadline, it was on display in Game 3. His ability to defend and attack in transition always jumped off the page, but on Thursday night we saw a command within what Minnesota wanted to do. His drives were consistent, his paint touches were important and his ability to punish Denver’s defense was key. He and DiVincenzo allowed the Wolves to find a flow in the second quarter.
Think about this: Anthony Edwards played only 23 minutes, with eight of those coming in the second half, and I did not feel that until typing this very sentence. That was the impact of the team effort from Minnesota.
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McDaniels set the tone with his Game 2 postgame comments. It’s one thing to talk the talk, it’s another thing to walk the walk, and he ended up strutting like Oba Femi in this one. The ball pressure and screen navigation against Murray were one thing, but the cuts, drives and dunks were another.
It would be hyperbole to call this Gobert’s most impactful game, but it was a reminder of his impact for Minnesota. There was a confidence from Gobert (see: left-hand hook), a command as far as keeping the flow going, and a trust from his teammates to make the right play.
Where does Denver go from here?
Losing Gordon was a big blow, but the contrast between the group we saw in Game 1 and Game 3 was startling. Jokić/Murray shooting aside, this was one of the rare occasions we didn’t feel the force of Denver’s offense. All of its off-ball actions, cuts and movement were disrupted.
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Ball movement became a stagnant adventure. Transition attacks did not feel as dangerous. Pressure points were not hit. The defense that looked great in Game 1 and slipped in Game 2 disappeared Thursday night.
The Nuggets have to get back to (at the very least) their identity to deal with this Wolves team. The offense has to keep the pressure on, getting the ball where the Nuggets want, and playing with their tempo. And the defense cannot be what we’ve seen the last two games. The formula is there, but the effort has to match. Never forget that Wolves can detect their prey.
Minnesota
Minnesota woman detained by ICE needs emergency surgery for tennis ball-sized ovarian cyst, lawmakers say
Minnesota lawmakers are calling for the humanitarian release of a woman detained earlier this year, amid Operation Metro Surge, who is suffering from a tennis ball-sized ovarian cyst.
Federal immigration agents arrested 23-year-old Andrea Pedro-Francisco in Burnsville on Feb. 5, just days before she says she was scheduled to have surgery.
Pedro-Francisco moved to Minnesota seeking asylum with her mother back in 2019. Right now, she is being held in a detention center in El Paso, Texas.
State lawmakers — including practicing ER physician Sen. Alice Mann, D-Edina — held a news conference Thursday morning at the Capitol to push for Pedro-Francisco’s immediate release.
“An ovarian cyst this big can put weight on the ovary and cause the ovary to twist onto itself, cutting off the ovary’s blood supply. This is a medical emergency,” Mann said. “This can impact fertility, and we are talking about a 23-year-old. If not treated, this can lead to infection and even death.”
Also on hand Thursday was North Dakota-based pastor Ellery Dykeman, who said he met with Pedro-Francisco last week in the detention center. Dykeman said she looked thinner than he had seen her in pictures.
Dykeman said Pedro-Francisco told him she is forced to climb up to a third-level bunk despite immense pain extending from the right side of her abdomen to her back.
Earlier this month, Democratic Minnesota Congresswoman Angie Craig said her team is tracking 20 medical cases with improper care within ICE detention. A quarter of them have serious conditions, her office says.
WCCO has reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Minnesota weather forecast. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Most of Minnesota will be under a marginal risk of severe weather on Thursday, with rain and rumbles expected.
Thursday weather forecast
Local perspective:
A line of storms is expected to develop in west-southwest Minnesota on Thursday and grow in coverage as well as intensity tracking east into the early evening.
Large hail and damaging winds are the prevalent threats, but an isolated tornado is also possible along the line.
Isolated showers are expected to form in the western part of Minnesota on Thursday morning.
Rain chances in the Twin Cities area increase in the afternoon, as a line pushes through with possible thunderstorms.
Stay Sky Aware with FOX 9 for the latest.
The Source: This story uses information from the FOX 9 weather forecast.
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