GOPHERS at Penn State
Three things to watch:
MURPHY'S MORTAL – The Gophers need Jordan Murphy to turn superhuman again in a big way after his back-to-back games without a double-double for the first time since last year. Murphy's double-double streak of 17 straight games to start the season almost seems like a distant memory after he struggled in blowout losses to Northwestern (eight points and two rebounds) and Purdue (10 points and four rebounds). The 6-foot-7 junior forward is averaging 13.5 points on 37.5 percent shooting from the field in six Big Ten games. His shooting is disturbingly low considering he takes most of his shots inside the arc (only 2-for-7 from three-point range). Murphy's effective field goal percentage (39.1) is 44th among Big Ten players this year, near the bottom for starting posts in the league. He's still averaging 17.9 points and 11.7 rebounds overall, while shooting 73.6 percent from the foul line. Opposing teams are making his life even more difficult without suspended center Reggie Lynch to worry about in the paint. But Murphy can help himself by getting free throws more often. In the last two games, Murphy is only 5-for-7 at the charity stripe combined. He was 12-for-17 in the previous two games against Indiana and Illinois combined. He also shot 12-for-14 at the line in the Rutgers win on Dec. 3. Murphy needs to somehow unleash his inner beast again and do what he does best – crash the offensive boards to get buckets. He only has two, TWO offensive rebounds combined in losses to Northwestern and Purdue. But Murphy still leads the nation in total offensive rebounds (86).
THREE-GUARD LINEUP – Will Richard Pitino finally do what he seemed hesitant to and go with a three-guard starting lineup of Nate Mason, Isaiah Washington and Dupree McBrayer on Monday? It didn't make sense when Amir Coffey was healthy, but he's out indefinitely with a right shoulder injury. What do the Gophers have to lose at this point if it doesn't work now? A smaller lineup leaves Minnesota vulnerable rebounding. But it takes advantage of the speed of Minnesota's guards to play an even more up-tempo style. Pitino made a similar move when the Gophers were going through a losing streak two years ago. He played Mason, McBrayer and Kevin Dorsey together. The Gophers made teams adjust to their new look and seemed to be more competitive. Washington replacing Hurt as a starter might actually help Hurt, because he could get more shooting opportunities off the bench. Washington would also spend some time at the shooting guard spot to make use of his playmaking ability.
PENN STATE'S SUPER SOPHS– The Gophers had a strong 2016 recruiting class with Coffey, Hurt and Eric Curry, but both Coffey and Curry are sidelined with injuries right now. Penn State's 2016 recruiting class of Tony Carr, Lamar Stevens and Nazeer Bostick was ranked 26th nationally. Carr and Stevens are now leading the Nittany Lions in scoring at 18.8 points and 15.9 points, respectively. Carr hit a game-winning jumper Friday to escape with a home win against Nebraska. Stevens is averaging 25.3 points on 63.5 percent from the field in his last three games, which included a career-high 30 points against Northwestern. Big man Mike Watkins wasn't part of the 2016 class, but he's one of Penn State's super sophomores after redshirting his first year. The 6-9, 254-pound Watkins is on a double-double streak of four straight games and averaging 16.3 points and 15.3 rebounds in that stretch. Watkins also leads the Big Ten in rebounding over Murphy in league play (12.7 to 10.2).
GAME INFO
Time: 6 p.m. CT, Monday. Where: Bryce Jordan Center. Line: Penn State by 7.5. Series: Minnesota leads 25-10. Last meeting Minnesota won 81-71 at Williams Arena on Feb. 25, 2017. TV: Big Ten Network Online/Live video: BTNPlus Radio: 100.3 FM and 1130 AM
PROJECTED STARTERS
